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]

Ill back port the XML to work on PHP 4 and add a lot of error checking for results that arent a timeout or a valid XML response.. That should work things more stable and more people happy

[skippybosco]

Just for the folks "waiting for a more stable version"

I have been running this for a week or so on a live site with 10,000+ unique visitors a day. I average 100 spam registrations a day. I am running this plugin (VB 3.6.10) and the only issue I had is when stopforum.com went offline due to the power outage.

It cut my bogus registrations down > 50% .. anxiously awaiting the ability to add to stopforum direct from vbulletin!

Thanks for all of you great efforts pedigree!

[pedigree]

Thanks skippy

Ive just completed v0.6, ready for testing

And just for skippy, Ive started on the code to integrate a submit form directly to the UI. Should be ready shortly, dependant on my work load in the office and my laptop battery life on the train

[skippybosco]

Installed and running.

Only feedback so far is the Db issue requiring uninstall before upgrade and the loss of historical logs when doing so.

Had a couple get caught already, seems to be doing its job.

[pedigree]

I was pondering the logs situation. I guess I could code around them.. Dont delete them on uninstall and if I ever have to change the log database table, I can test for and then upgrade just that table....

Ill do that from now on with specific mention in the instructions that an uninstall wont remove the logs table, with instructions on just how to do that

[Wired1]

Just installed, we'll see how it goes! Gotten a lot of human spammers in the past couple of days, but most are on that blacklist.

Just some notes to fix up the instruction file:

OLD: 6 - You can edit the default rejection message by Admin Control Panel / Languages & Phrases / Error Messages / vbstopformspam_reject and vbstopformspam_reject_connectionerror

NEW: 6 - You can edit the default rejection message by Admin Control Panel / Languages & Phrases / Phrase Manager / Front-End Error Messages / vbstopformspam_reject and vbstopformspam_reject_connectionerror

OLD: Edit template MEMBERINFO
NEW: Edit template MEMBERINFO_BLOCK_STATISTICS

OLD: edit [admin folder name]/users.php
NEW: edit [admin folder name]/user.php (no 's')

[pedigree]

Thanks Wired1 - Ill make those changes right now.

With the next version, the templates will be automatically modded so no template changes will be required. Those that have changed them manually can safely revert, making vb patches much easier

[Wired1]

Originally Posted by pedigree

Thanks Wired1 - Ill make those changes right now.

With the next version, the templates will be automatically modded so no template changes will be required. Those that have changed them manually can safely revert, making vb patches much easier

Found the log, DAMN, in a 12 hour period, 21/46 registration attempts were blocked, SCHWEET

However, some names are duplicated, assuming this is because the registration page reloaded because the user didn't type in the password right or something.

Also, the permissions aren't working right for me. The buttons show up on the statistics page regardless of group. Rebuilt bitfields, no go.

[pedigree]

Originally Posted by Wired1

Found the log, DAMN, in a 12 hour period, 21/46 registration attempts were blocked, SCHWEET

However, some names are duplicated, assuming this is because the registration page reloaded because the user didn't type in the password right or something.

Also, the permissions aren't working right for me. The buttons show up on the statistics page regardless of group. Rebuilt bitfields, no go.

The duplicates will come from two places
- The user refreshing and trying to reregister.
- Policy allowing a spammer. It will allow Spammer Allowed by Policy and then a Registration complete. This is to show that it has completed properly.

Ill retest the postbits, can you PM me a link or a small JPG, so that I can really concentrate on whats causing that error. Im going to remove the postfits and move to an options based group config. This will give a per group and a per user ganular control list and should work better for whitelisting control and group/user exclusion (dont want to submit your admin account right? )

[Wired1]

It's the code for the MEMBERINFO_BLOCK_STATISTICS edit. I just removed the code for the time being, as it's not needed for the auto-blocking of spammers

I was trying to slap the edit into $template_hook[profile_stats_last] for awhile as well