Administrative and Maintenance Tools - vbStopForumSpam

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. This queries the StopForumSpam database (where I am a coder and administrator) to see if a new users IP address/email address/IP number are listed as known spammer sources.

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

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.

Currently, I would say this is an beta codebase. Please treat it as such.

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.

This is the exact same version that is on the 3.6 forums because it works with 3.54 to 3.84 (at time of wriing, the latest version)

Changes to vB
- 3 new database tables
- 2 database table alternations
- No new templates.
- 2 Hook (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/showp...&postcount=288

Reported in the thread to work
- 3.5.4 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

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+

If you want to submit data directly from the user admincp to the database, then you can install an addon mod (Coded by Wired1) here https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showpost....&postcount=288

You need to have an API key from www.stopforumspam.com in order to submit data, its free and easy to get... The code above is a quick hack that changes the pages "form" so that it submits to the database. As its a quick hack, this relies 100% on javascript being enabled and makes no tests that it is enabled.

Please click Installed

[pedigree]

This is an exact copy of the 3.6 mod as Ive been nagged to near suicide (joking really, I think) from people saying "Why isnt this listed in the 3.8 mods section"

- So now it is.

This should remove any issues with people not installing it because they didnt read the 3.6 mod stating it works from 3.5.4 and might highlight its existance and thus, userbase.

[pedigree]

Originally Posted by pedigree

This is an exact copy of the 3.6 mod as Ive been nagged to near suicide (joking really, I think) from people saying "Why isnt this listed in the 3.8 mods section"

- So now it is.

This should remove any issues with people not installing it because they didnt read the 3.6 mod stating it works from 3.5.4 and might highlight its existance and thus, userbase.

Please read the original 3.6 mod thread at

https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthread.php?t=176481

This is where the majority of the answers and replies are. Anything posted in the 3.8 mod section (until 0.7 is release) will be addressed in the original thread. This is to avoid splitting responses.

[TheSupportForum]

are there any code changes to do since 3.6.1, i know there are lots, i use this mod currently for 3.8.4 but codes need updating

[pedigree]

Nope, exactly the same. 0.61 was 0.60 with a tiny change and 0.60 didnt last very long at all. The mod in admincp still says 0.6 but is 0.61, which is what is posted here.

[segwayon]

An excellent mod! Every board should use this full-featured modification if they wish to curtail spam. It includes a panel in the Admincp for reporting new spammers back to the StopForumSpam.com database so that other boards won't get plagued, too. Also, it allows for blocking spammers based on 3 different criteria: their usernames they select, their email addresses, and/or their IP addresses.

[segwayon]

Pedigree: Someone on the lite mod asked if there's a way to query existing members: (https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showpost....1&postcount=48). Would you have any plans for somthing which allows an admin to scour the local database for hits?

[pedigree]

Originally Posted by segwayon

Pedigree: Someone on the lite mod asked if there's a way to query existing members: (https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showpost....1&postcount=48). Would you have any plans for somthing which allows an admin to scour the local database for hits?

I have and will but not a task to be run lightly. If you have , say, 2000 members and you want to check them all, thats 2000 (minimum) remove queries. As we only allow 5000 per day, thats a good slice is a daily allocation. What I might do uis build it around the daily downloadable (5am EST I think) CSV file. This would allow for every detail to be checked - registration ip, last activity ip, username, email address

[wmelnick]

Following the installation instructions gives "Invalid File Specified" when I try to import it. Any ideas?

W

[pedigree]

When you import the XML file?

how about some information, like what file youre importing and what version of vbulletin youre using