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

[pedigree]

Originally Posted by BadgerDog

Just got this error when trying to read the last 15 entries in the log? :erm:
What is it?

Never had a problem before, but more importantly, how to I clean it up and continue using this excellent mod? I'm unable to read past the 2nd item in the list.....

Its a plugin in your browser I guess. Its nothing to do with the mod in vbulletin.

[mmurtha]

Hey Skippy,

mmurtha, agreed.. I've tried to campaign for motm a couple of times..

Love to see you take the rally for April!

Consider it done then for April! I know I've been posting this Mod on other forums every chance I get. If a couple of us do that, people will install it and then see how good it really is.


Hey Pedigree,

It would be nice to see a motm against the mod But as the rules state, Im not allowed to nominate it myself or /poke people into nominating or voting for it.

Just that people think its good enough for motm is a great pat on the back.

I am working on 0.7 (to be v1.0) but Im so very busy at work, have a young son and, shamefully, starting playing Evercrack 2 again.

Yeah, I understand that you aren't allowed to rally people to vote, but this Mod is well worth it and then some to us who use it. I have thousands of spammers now in my logs and I've only been using this mod for a couple of months. It seems to me that the people who install it and use it could ralley for you.

Btw, I knew you mentioned you were working on another update, and that's great! You'll get to it when you get to it, and I think most people know how valuable your times is too, so don't fret. It'll come.

I wanted to ask you something to - Would you mind if I posted a link to your mod on my forum? I'm thinking of creating a mod section in one of the moduels in the left column. I'd love to post this one as the leading mod.


Mary

[adamskiii]

thank you. works great with 3.8.1

[pedigree]

mmurtha, you post away

[Lahoria]

Originally Posted by adamskiii

thank you. works great with 3.8.1

nice then I will install it

[BadgerDog]

Has anyone else begun experiencing an inordinate amount of legitimate AOL members attempting to register on their sites, but the mod "bags" them as spammers?

Almost every one from AOL seems to get stopped because their IP address is in the database.

Is there a reason for this I'm missing?

Sure creates some unhappy campers and a lot of manual work adding them later after they complain and you find out they're legit.

Do the spammers have access to blocks of IP addresses that AOL uses and that's why we're seeing this?

Thanks for any feedback.... great mod btw ... :up:

Regards,
Badger

[skippybosco]

Has anyone else begun experiencing an inordinate amount of legitimate AOL members attempting to register on their sites, but the mod "bags" them as spammers?

I do not see this in my environment, but each of our niches draws different users. If this creates a impact for you, you can set StopForumSpam from blocking on IP and still catch a number of spammers (31% of all blocked spammers on my site are from username (21%) and email (10%)

[BadgerDog]

I think I'll try that and see what happens ...

Thanks for the advice....

Regards,
Badger

[pedigree]

AOL forces most of its users out via proxy servers. As AOL do practically nothing to curtail spammers, innocents users are being caught up in that mess. If youre an AOL user, I think youll have to come to expect trouble in the future, not just for the sfs database but from projecthoneypot, spamhaus etc etc etc.

[pyro.699]

Any reason this wont work on 3.6.0? I tried installing it on a test board and it seemed to work fine.