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

[SRobbins1977]

hello, I am getting this error:

Database error in vBulletin 4.2.0:

Invalid SQL:

CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS `vbstopforumspam` (
APIKey VARCHAR( 255 ) NOT NULL ,
PRIMARY KEY ( APIKey )
) TYPE=MyISAM;;

MySQL Error : You have an error in your SQL syntax; check the manual that corresponds to your MySQL server version for the right syntax to use near 'TYPE=MyISAM' at line 4
Error Number : 1064
Request Date : Saturday, November 17th 2012 @ 11:55:32 AM
Error Date : Saturday, November 17th 2012 @ 11:55:32 AM
Script : http://mydomain.com/admincp/plugin.php?do=productimport
Referrer : http://mydomain.com/admincp/plugin.php?do=productadd
IP Address : 74.101.113.163
Username : Administrator
Classname : vB_Database
MySQL Version : 5.5.23-55

Please help!

[zylstra]

Replace all

TYPE=MyISAM

with

ENGINE=MyISAM

in the xml file.

[ApexSpeed]

I am getting a similar error, but not exact:

Database error in vBulletin 3.8.0:

Invalid SQL:
SELECT DATEDIFF(NOW(), '2012-12-20 02:18:04') AS DAYS;;

MySQL Error   : You have an error in your SQL syntax.  Check the manual that corresponds to your MySQL server version for the right syntax to use near '(NOW(), '2012-12-20 02:18:04') AS DAYS' at line 1
Error Number  : 1064
Request Date  : Wednesday, December 19th 2012 @ 09:21:31 PM
Error Date    : Wednesday, December 19th 2012 @ 09:21:32 PM
Script        : http://www.apexspeed.com/forums/register.php?do=addmember
Referrer      : http://www.apexspeed.com/forums/register.php?
IP Address    : 195.190.13.102
Username      : rchuano130
Classname     : vB_Database
MySQL Version :

Everything is working VERY well other than the db error e-mail for every spam registration, which is at anywhere between 300-400 a day now.

Same or similar fix?

[ApexSpeed]

Ahhh, I just realized my server is running MySQL V 4.0.27. Guess this isn't going to work after all...

[ApexSpeed]

A nightmare to get the MySQL updated in the past 24 hours that led to 2,451 database errors in my Inbox at lunchtime today, but we finally got it updated to 5.0.+ MySQL version to run this plug-in. And I have to say, it's been 100% effective already blocking 44 spam user account registrations and allowing 3 legitimate users to register.


THANK YOU FOR THIS PLUG-IN! It's fantastic so far and relatively easy to install. Nice work! :up: :up:

[ApexSpeed]

Everything is updated on the server, we're running vB 3.8.0 and while the plug-in is working, we are still getting about 20-30 very strange database errors per day. When the plug-in is shut off, it all stops, so it's something being driven by vbStopForumSpam.

MySQL Error   : Illegal mix of collations (latin1_swedish_ci,IMPLICIT) and (utf8_general_ci,COERCIBLE) for operation '='
Error Number  : 1267
Request Date  : Thursday, December 27th 2012 @ 06:29:06 AM
Error Date    : Thursday, December 27th 2012 @ 06:29:07 AM
Script        : http://www.apexspeed.com/forums/register.php?do=addmember
Referrer      : http://www.apexspeed.com/forums/register.php?
IP Address    : 176.53.43.226
Username      : ****
Classname     : vB_Database
MySQL Version : 5.0.51a-log

They all have the "Swedish" and "Latin" notes in the errors, and we can't figure out what is causing them. I'm going to attempt to find 3.8.7 forum software when I get a chance today, but their current system for older software updates leaves me itch, so we'll see what I can come up with. It might help the issues with the database errors.

If anyone else notices something obvious, I'd appreciate any input.



doug

[jimsflies]

At some point in the past couple days (since 12/28) guests have not been able to register because they are apparently being tagged as a spammer. I confirmed this by trying to register myself and also was denied.

Has anyone else had this problem in the past couple days?

I checked my info against stopforumspam.com database and it is not in their database. So registration should be allowed.

[kapoor22]

Could anyone please let me know how to access vbStopForumSpam Log Viewer page shown in this image (below)?

https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/attachmen...2&d=1208476300

Thank you!

[ApexSpeed]

It the Admin Control Panel, go to Statistics & Logs --> vbStopForumSpam Logs

Still getting loads of vB database errors mentioning Swedish & Latin language issues. Anyone?

[kapoor22]

Originally Posted by ApexSpeed

It the Admin Control Panel, go to Statistics & Logs --> vbStopForumSpam Logs




Still getting loads of vB database errors mentioning Swedish & Latin language issues. Anyone?

Thanks ApexSpeed! This is helpful.

Wish I could have assist with the vb DB errors issue.