Anti-Spam Options - Spambot Stopper - Prevent Spambots from Registering

What is it?
----------------------------
This mod rejects registrations where the form is filled out in less than a minimum time. You can configure one of the following actions to be taken when an automated registration is detected:

- Show a "No Permissions" page
- Display the "Successful Registration" message but without creating an account
- Redirect the user to any URL you choose
- Reload the registration page with an error message of your choosing

You can also provide a list of email addresses to be notified each time a registration is blocked.

In the future, I'd like to add some simple logging and statistics, and a summary type of email notification (because people seem to quickly get tired of the single emails).

Note: I coded this myself from scratch, but I would like to acknowledge a couple of previous mods that used this same idea, by users Calorie and noppid, and maybe others. In any case, I believe this one adds some features that the others don't have.

Other advantages: no ads or links, no abuse of update notifications, no disappearing features, no threats to delete the mod (it will never be deleted, at least by me). Also, translations are allowed.

Installation:
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1) If you have "Is Bot", "Stop the Registration Bots", "Spammers Suck!", or another mod that works on registration time, note any admincp settings for that mod then uninstall it.

2) Import the product XML file from the Product Manager.

3) Go to Settings > Options > Spambot Stopper Options and configure the desired settings.

4) IMPORTANT: try to register a new user to make sure that there are no problems with humans registering. If you want, you can also temporarily set the minimum time to a higher value (like 60 seconds) and test to see if the spammer rejection is working.



History:
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1.0.1 (Feb 1, 2013)

• Initial Release

[interfx]

I've installed and appears to be working quite well...

However, I keep getting New User email alerts, but does not look like they are actually registered (ie. they do not show up when searching new user registrations within the last 24 hrs?)... Ideas?

There is a new user, foutlempome at xxx

To view their profile, go here:
http://www.xxx.com/forums/member.php?12823-foutlempome

Email Address : sillinessu@hotmail.com
Birthday :
Referrer: N/A
IP Address: 37.59.75.49

[kh99]

That message doesn't look like the one sent by this mod. I guess you could have customized the phrase. But IIRC (it's been quite a while since I looked at the code for this), email is sent when a registration is blocked, not when a new user joins. Maybe you have some other mod that's sending that email? In that case I suppose it's possible that the other mods sends he email before this mod rejects the registration.

[oldengine]

Interesting that immediately as soon as I installed this, I received six alerts in a row from bots.

Does this hack override my Human Verification math questions that I have already in place?

It was like raising the red flag to the bull.

Prior to this, I've been getting one or two a day from the ghijklmnop Koreans or Japan.

Mod disabled for now!

[ozzy47]

No, this does not override any settings or mods.

[oldengine]

It could have been a coincidence, but it got my attention. I'll try it again later.

[ozzy47]

Well right after installing the mod, you had six auto bots try and register. By geting alerted that means the mod is working.

[oldengine]

But now with it disabled, no bots. There was definitely a rat in the woodpile.

[ozzy47]

Right, you are not going to get any alerts that a bot is trying to register with the mod disabled.

[Max Taxable]

Originally Posted by oldengine

But now with it disabled, no bots. There was definitely a rat in the woodpile.

Nonsense. They've always been there, you simply weren't aware of them until now.

This mod doesn't "attract bots."

[ozzy47]

Exactly.