Administrative and Maintenance Tools - vbStopForumSpam - known spammer lookup for new registrations

vbStopForumSpam

This provides access to a RBL type system for forum admins, listing known spam IP / email / usernames. The RBL database is provided by www.stopforumspam.com. You do NOT need an API key from the website in order to access the database. only to submit data if you should wish to do so.

At the point of user registration, the mod checks if the IP number / provided username / email addresses appear on a block list and can block the registration.

Whilst this isnt the most perfect way to stop all forum spam, its another step that spammers have to overcome.

VB4 here https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthrea...hreadid=230921
Its the same code, it works in 3.54 to 4.0


What it does

It checks with a remote database of known forum spammers. Their IP number, email address and forum username are tested and based on your configuration, you can reject / log / accept user registrations based on what you get back.

This version doesnt have
- whitelisting or the ability to submit users to the database but it will within the next week.
- automatic user deletion / post / PM purging. There are good tools out there already, this does something else.

Instructions are included in the installation.txt file - PLEASE read it first and dont forget to actually upload the files in the upload folder, otherwise it WILL kill your registration progress and you wont see the log file options in admincp. You do not need to download the product-vbstopforumspam-3.54.xml file unless you are using a vBulletin version older than 3.6.0

Changes to vB
- 3 new database tables
- 2 database table alternations
- No new templates.
- 2 Hook (register_addmember_process & register_addmember_complete)

Ive tested it but had feedback that it works with versions as old as 3.6.2... Support should go back to older versions, as long as they have hook support for register_addmember_process / register_addmember_complete

Known to work - tested by me
- vBulletin 3.6.8 on Apache 2.2 / PHP 5.1.2 on Linux using cUrl
- vBulletin 3.7 Gold on Apache 2.0 / PHP 4.4.3 on Windows without cUrl (template changes wont work on 3.7 - thats in the next version with auto template changes)

For code to submit spammers to the database, check this post for code changes
https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showpost....&postcount=288

Reported in the thread to work
- 3.6.1, 3.6.2, 3.6.9, 3.6.10, 3.7.0, 3.7.1, 3.7.2, 3.7.3, 3.74, 3.80, 3.81, 3.82, 3.83, 3.8.4, 4.0beta3

If you have 3.54, then you can use the product-vbstopforumspam-3.54.xml file attached instead of the one in the ZIP file, which will allow older vBulletin versions to access this mods' features. I personally havent tested this version, its a user contribution, thanks to Darrell Mobley, that changes the way the XML works when imported into older versions.

Installers should remember to refresh their ACP navigation window when they first install it so they can see the new log file menu item.

REQUIRES MySQL 4.1.1+

Future versions
- Automatic integration into vBulletin to add users to the stopForumSpam.com database from a form
- Whitelisting of username / IP / email addresses
- AJAX integration to allow for lookups from within the users profile
- Decreased remote query count from three per user to one per user.

Versions / Changes

0.1 Initial Release

0.2 pedigrees special brew birthday release.
- Small security update. If you have 0.1 installed, download 0.2 and replace your existing functions_vbsfs.php with the one in the archive. It just tests to see if its running inside the VB framework before anything else. This is what happens when you code at 2am after drinking wine

0.3
- stopped it processing valid registrations twice
- moved all non-function code into the plugin. Not a big one as 0.2 basically did that
- fixed a typo in the log pruner that stopped it working (404)
- removed unused fields from the database for people with mysql that doesnt support varchar > 255 (ie mySQL4). If you have 0.2 installed and dont need to prune your logs just yet, you dont really need to install this version but can instead wait for 1.0 unless of a massive security update.

0.4
- logs registrations that arent/wouldnt be blocked
- fixed XML errors when username has a space it in
- tightened up the cache so that it doesnt test a username against an email name to give a bypass result (for when a username is an email address that isnt banned where the email address is)
- fixed some basic logic errors in the PHP

0.6
- Should work on PHP 4.4 now - rewrote the XML with PHP4 in mind (tested on Apache2.0/PHP 4.4.3)
- Fixed a caching system where data wasnt being updated correctly which could cause a remote query when one wasnt needed
- Possible false negative situation when a spammer was blocked due to SFS.com being down who then visited again when it was up but within the cache expiry time
- Remote query failure when the result page isnt XML should work a bit better now. It does a very basic test for valid XML results.
- Fixed log purging (again) and it should actually work properly now.
- No longer requires PHP5
- The log viewer now links to a user profile when registration is allowed.

v0.61 - Removed a template change that was invalid vBulletin code. The package you download will still say its 0.60 however

NB : When upgrading from any version to 0.6, you must remove and then add the plugin due to changes in one of the database tables

You need to have an API key from www.stopforumspam.com in order to submit data, its free and easy to get... You DONT need an API key in order to use this mod however, only to submit spammer data.

Issues are
- The usergroup permissions / view details etc DONT work. I jumped the gun and put the permissions controls in there before I put the code in. Please delete the includes/xml/bitfield_vbstopforumspam.xml file and rebuild your postbit

Installation
- Follow the instructions in the zip file, that includes upload the correct folders
- ONLY download the 3.54 xml file if youre using a vbulletin version prior to 3.6.0. use this file to install the mod instead of the xml file in the zip file.

Please click Installed

[Gav-n-Tn]

Wasn't there a 3.8 mod -back when- to pedigree's hack that auto-submitted to SFS if the registrar failed due to being listed on SFS already?

[Alfa1]

Originally Posted by djbaxter

How is bouncing email from fake email addresses going to get you listed as a spammer? Email to the fake email address never gets anywhere to be listed as spam.

While bounces from obvious trashmail domains do not get you on the blacklist, other temporary email domains can get you on the blacklist. Blacklists are shared between email providers. As such your site can be marked as a spammer and then subscription emails stop arriving at various email domains.

Originally Posted by djbaxter

The bottom line for me is that i do not want and will not use ANY scheme which autospams bounced email. I don't even use autodelete for spam on my server because of the potential for false positives, however low that may be. I want the option to scan what's being flagged.

You mean auto-bans bounced email?

I do not want to autoban bounced email. I want to autoban fake email domains and their aliases. I see this as one further step to make spamming a little more difficult.

[Dozer826]

Installed and within 2 hours it stopped 6 bots and did not let any in! I've been deleting about 20-25 Bots a day and it is such a pain in the butt.

Thanks so much for this, it's exactly what we were looking for!

*marked as installed! Great work!

[AusPhotography]

It works in vB4.0.7 !!

[SᴩiDᴇЯ]

If you can't provide the service of giving the API key then don't provide the mod.

I will be completely removing it from my server and never will I use this mod.

I have uninstalled this mod due to this: Message from your site,

Sorry

Due to abuse by certain people, we are currently limiting API signups to members of the forum. We are sorry that we have had to take this course of action but we hope to have things back to normal shortly

[BadgerDog]

Originally Posted by SᴩiDᴇЯ

If you can't provide the service of giving the API key then don't provide the mod.

I will be completely removing it from my server and never will I use this mod.

I have uninstalled this mod due to this: Message from your site,

Sorry

Due to abuse by certain people, we are currently limiting API signups to members of the forum. We are sorry that we have had to take this course of action but we hope to have things back to normal shortly

What the heck does this mean?

So, even if you have an API key, vbStopforumSpam site no longer checks for spammers unless you join their forums?

Regards,
Badger

[GlowHost.com]

Where did you see this written? Do you have a link?

[pedigree]

Firstly, SᴩiDᴇЯ has zero idea what hes talking about

I stopped the system from being able to bulk issue API keys to anonymous users who simply provided an email address. We made it so that you needed to sign up to the forum, to validate your email address and thus record where you were coming from IN ORDER TO SUBMIT DATA

Then you could get an API key to SUBMIT to the database. You DONT NEED an api key in order to use the api.

I believe that you simply didnt read the mod details as it says "You need to have an API key from www.stopforumspam.com in order to submit data, its free and easy to get... You DONT need an API key in order to use this mod however, only to submit spammer data." Just under the big red letters. Unlike other lists of spammers, BotScout, project honeypot etc, where you are required to register to read the database, we dont do that.

If you want to remove the mod, then please do. Infact, I hope that you do, so that I dont have to deal with you again. Can you say "gift horse mouth"

As someone who obviously runs a forum, would you let people post on your forum without logging in or registering? No? Well, now, neither do we. For all the pain of joining our community to use a service provided for free, is that just perhaps a little too much to ask huh?

[Gav-n-Tn]

I don't know why anyone wouldn't want to join the SFS forum anyway. Lots of great folks and plenty of good community advice. My plug for SFS

Apparently someone was fatigued when reading the message about the API.

[biftek]

not sure if this has been answered and i don't feel like reading the whole 70 posts
i have this mod installed on my site , every so often it blocks legit people , is there anyway around this ?