Miscellaneous Hacks - NoSpam! - an alternative to CAPTCHA images

This hack is for vBulletin 3.6.x. For 3.5.x, please use the one provided in this thread. If you are using 3.7.x, you must use the one in this thread.

This simple hack is meant as a replacement for the default CAPTCHA system in vBulletin. There are two main reasons one might want to do this: firstly, new technology is constantly being developed to crack CAPTCHA images and make spam accounts anyway, and secondly, the more secure the CAPTCHA, the more difficult it is for genuine users to tell what the numbers in the image are. There is also the issue of visually impaired users, and the fact that not all servers are capable of generating CAPTCHA images.

So what does this hack do instead? It asks a question. Any question you want. That's the best part: YOU make up the questions, which means that every forum is unique, which means that it is impossible for spambots to be simply programmed to bypass it at all forums with the hack installed. You can make one or many questions - if you make many, the hack will pick one at random when a guest attempts to register, search, post or send mail through the Contact Us form. Their input is compared with your specified answer, and voil?, if they get it right they're pretty much guaranteed to be human. If they get it wrong, they're given an error message.

It doesn't have to be a complicated question. Heck, you can just make it "Please type 'blah' into this box." Or you can go with inserting a simple image with HTML and ask what is shown on the image. Or you can ask them to tell you two plus two. It's up to you. In fact, this can also be used as a means of forcing people to read the rules by asking for a certain password found there, or if your forum focuses on a specialized subject, ask a question concerning the subject that all your genuine users will be able to answer, but a random troll or "CAPTCHA-sweatshop-reader" will be scratching their head over.

It's simple to install, too: just one product to import, and that's it.


VERSION HISTORY:

3.0: Added functionality to allow users to specify which pages should use NoSpam!.
2.0: Extended the NoSpam! functionality to guest posts, guest searches and guest "Contact Us" in addition to registration.
1.1: Made template edit automatic (with thanks to Cole2026), added ability to have more than one answer to each question, and made answers case insensitive. To upgrade, I recommend undoing the template edit so you won't have to worry about it anymore (replace $nospamfield in the template register with $imagereg, or if you added $nospamfield above $imagereg, just remove $nospamfield altogether), and then reimport the product through the Admin CP (making sure that Allow Overwrite is set to On).
1.0: Initial release.


INSTALLATION:

Please download NoSpam!.zip, not product-nospam.xml, for the tested version. product.nospam.xml is NoSpam! 4.0 adapted blindly to 3.6, i.e. by editing the XML file for the 3.7 version without actually testing it on a 3.6 board. Theoretically it should work, but I cannot guarantee it at this time. If you download NoSpam!.zip and unzip it, it will contain another file called product.nospam.xml, which you should use.

1. Import product-nospam.xml through the Admin CP product manager.
2. Go to your vBulletin options in the Admin CP and select NoSpam! Settings. Once there, turn the system on and input your questions and answers according to the instructions there.

The system should now be functional and running.


UNINSTALLATION:

Just uninstall the product through the Admin CP.


SUPPORT:

Full support will be given here in this thread. All suggestions are welcome.

Thank you and please click "Mark as Installed" if you like it.


If NoSpam! is not working for you or you are looking for something a little different, you might want to check out Advanced Textual Confirmation.

[dvsDave]

The new updated product doesn't have the code that Cole2026 suggested in it.

[antialiasis]

It does... There was already a plugin at register_start, and I added the code there (inside the if statement).

adwade - what you should do is simply to remove the $nospamfield from the template (or revert it, unless you've got other edits in it), and then import the new product through the Admin CP, making sure that Allow Overwrite is on. (You don't need to uninstall it first or anything.) That's all you have to do.

[dvsDave]

hmm... I redownloaded it just to be sure... but I don't see Cole's code anywhere in the xml file. I uploaded the .xml file that I have just for comparison's sake (I downloaded it just a moment ago and checked it with the same results).

[antialiasis]

That's version 1.0...

Don't ask me how the heck this keeps happening to me. I have the zip file right here on my computer - the very same one I attached to the first post a couple of minutes after I last edited the files in it - and the file in there is the correct one. How the 1.0 file landed in the zip file attached to the post is completely beyond me if it did, and I apologize. The correct one is definitely there now, though, as I downloaded it after attaching it and it has the right file.

[dartho]

antialiasis - your profile says you are using VB 3.5.4 - will you be releasing this for 3.5 also? I really like the idea!

[antialiasis]

Oh, that's an error in my profile, actually.

Editing the XML for 3.5 shouldn't be too hard, though - just removing a couple of things, and it should work just fine. :/ In fact... I attached an XML file that I think should in theory work for 3.5. Not tested at all, though.

[dartho]

Downloaded and installed the "product-nospam-3-5.xml" Installed OK, I sleected YES to enable, added a question and saved - but still got the old image verification on the registration screen

the nospam template is there, and there are 2 no spam plugins:

Hook Location : register_addmember_process
Check if NoSpam! question has been answered correctly

Hook Location : register_start
Generate NoSpam! question


Any ideas for me to try?

Thanks!

[antialiasis]

Hmm, there should be one more plugin... o_O A cache_templates one?

The normal image verification isn't supposed to disappear, by the way - you need to manually disable it if you want to use only NoSpam!. But if the NoSpam! isn't appearing... well, that's weird. Try making the template edit manually (adding $nospamfield above $imagereg in the register template).

[hcmagix]

Version 1.1 also translated for german vb users

[dartho]

There in may lay the problem - there is no "$imagereg" See template code below:

I added in a $nospamfield just above this, and it all came togther - thanks!

			<if condition="$show['regimagecheck']">
			<fieldset class="fieldset">
				<legend>$vbphrase[image_verification]</legend>
				<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="$stylevar[formspacer]" border="0">
				<tr>
					<td>
						$vbphrase[enter_text_image_right]
					</td>
					<td rowspan="2"><img src="image.php?$session[sessionurl]type=regcheck&amp;imagehash=$imagehash" alt="$vbphrase[registration_image]" width="201" height="61" border="0" /></td>
				</tr>
				<tr>
					<td><input type="text" class="bginput" name="imagestamp" size="50" maxlength="6" /><input type="hidden" name="imagehash" value="$imagehash" /></td>
				</tr>
				</table>
			</fieldset>
			</if>