Anti-Spam Options - Rename register.php by BOP5

Brought to you by BirdOPrey5 / Qapla.com

It's great when you stop spam bots during registration but this mod gives you a chance to stop them BEFORE they even attempt to register.

I have received multiple reports from people who say their "register.php" was getting hammered with spam requests- so much so it was like a denial of service attack. Even if they disabled registration they would waste so much resources their site was slow or worse- had to be taken offline.

What this mod does is allow you to rename the register.php file- my theory is many of the vBulletin spamming bots are hard coded to look for register.php. Using a unique name will throw them off, at least for a while.

To manually change the name of register.php would have meant dozens, maybe hundreds of manual edits to files and templates previously.

This mod makes it as simple as possible. At worst you will need to edit 2 phrases and 1 file, and some people don't need to edit anything at all.

Compatible with VB 3.8.x (and 3.7, and 3.6 probably too) and all VB 4.x.x versions.

Basic Instructions
1) Import XML File
2) Go to mod settings in Admin CP
3) Rename your register.php file via FTP or some other means- make it a unique value but only use basic letters, numbers, underscores, or hyphens. Something like "joeregister999.php"
4) In the mod settings, set the value of register.php to the new file name you chose.
5) If you require email verification during registration follow the next setting in the Admin CP and edit the phrases listed (activateaccount and activateaccount_chnage phrases in Email Body)
6) Finally, if you use Facebook Connect on your forum make the manual file edit of class_bootstrap.php as instructed.

Now enjoy your new filename for register.php, I hope it reduces server load and spam in general.

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Please "Mark as Installed" if you use this.
Donations always appreciated. :up:
Nominate MOTM if you LOVE it!

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Note- if having problems sending activation codes or other Admin CP related activities use the solution in post #197.

[BirdOPrey5]

Originally Posted by CaptainAwesome

When i click through the "Link to Edit Email Body Phrases", it takes me to the Email Body Text Page. When i click on edit, it takes me through to a page for the "activeaccount" but i'm unable to edit anything.

How do i edit the activateaccount and activateaccount_change parts?

You don'r really edit a phrase- you provide a translation. So even if your site is English, press the button to copy the original text to the translation box, then make the changes in the translation, and save. A translation always override the default phrase if it exists for that language.

Originally Posted by madness85

the tab email activation codes in admincp at the top of a users profile page or in quick user links still takes me to register.php please help

I just double checked, this should be working as long as the Admin CP plugin part of the mod is active, and it would be by default. All I can think of is perhaps some other mod running on an Admin CP hook is causing a conflict.

You can always send the emails by going to the URL directly-

http://www.domain.com/forum_dir/registerXXX.php?do=requestemail

Where you obviously replace the values unique to your site. registerXXX.php should be replaced with the custom value you set for your site.

[chris.t]

Trying to install Mod (Novice I might add). in VB4.2.2

I got through #1....

I have a manage products and a plugin manager....don't see "Mod Settings" so where do I go? and once I get there(wherever there is) what do I do to complete step #2?

and is step #3 just changing the name of the file, using like filezilla?

thanks for any help,,,chris

Basic Instructions
1) Import XML File
2) Go to mod settings in Admin CP
3) Rename your register.php file via FTP or some other means- make it a unique value but only use basic letters, numbers, underscores, or hyphens. Something like "joeregister999.php"
4) In the mod settings, set the value of register.php to the new file name you chose.
5) If you require email verification during registration follow the next setting in the Admin CP and edit the phrases listed (activateaccount and activateaccount_chnage phrases in Email Body)
6) Finally, if you use Facebook Connect on your forum make the manual file edit of class_bootstrap.php as instructed.

[chris.t]

found it......does it matter that everyone can see what you renamed the register.php file to?

thanks

chris

[chris.t]

I got this all set up and turned my site back on......spammers registering started immediately....3 or 4 a minute.....does this MOD do any good?

chris

[ForceHSS]

Originally Posted by chris.t

I got this all set up and turned my site back on......spammers registering started immediately....3 or 4 a minute.....does this MOD do any good?

chris

this does not stop spammers it never worked for me

[Max Taxable]

Originally Posted by ForceHSS

this does not stop spammers it never worked for me

It IS one of our recommended anti-spam Mods that is safe to skip, really.

[ForceHSS]

Originally Posted by Max Taxable

It IS one of our recommended anti-spam Mods that is safe to skip, really.

It does not work as a stand alone but just renaming the register.php will not stop a bot if the link is put on the page for guests to see even if it is hidden bots will find it in time. When i added this sometime ago i hidden the register link with in 24 hrs bots found the new renamed one and try to spam it. So now I have other things put in place and dont get any bots even trying anymore

[smirkley]

If you are buiulding a honeypot, this mod works very well.

[madness85]

Originally Posted by ForceHSS

It does not work as a stand alone but just renaming the register.php will not stop a bot if the link is put on the page for guests to see even if it is hidden bots will find it in time. When i added this sometime ago i hidden the register link with in 24 hrs bots found the new renamed one and try to spam it. So now I have other things put in place and dont get any bots even trying anymore

Would you like to share?

[Max Taxable]

Originally Posted by ForceHSS

It does not work as a stand alone but just renaming the register.php will not stop a bot if the link is put on the page for guests to see even if it is hidden bots will find it in time. When i added this sometime ago i hidden the register link with in 24 hrs bots found the new renamed one and try to spam it. So now I have other things put in place and dont get any bots even trying anymore

I too came to doubt its effectiveness and have removed it from our list of recommended anti-spam modifications.