Administrative and Maintenance Tools - Multiple Account Detection & Prevention

It happens all of the time. Some members will make multiple accounts to back their own opinion or get an extra vote in a poll. Here's a modification that will detect and prevent multiple accounts, as well as notify the administration about multiple accounts. Inspiration for this modification came from the work of MPDev (creator of the Multiple Account Login Detector) and randominity (creator of the Multiple Account Registration Prevention). This is basically a combination of those two modifications but with new and improved functionality.

This is not an update to the "Multiple Account Login Detector (AE Detector)" nor is it an update to the "Multiple Account Registration Prevention." If you have either one of these (or both of them) installed, you should uninstall them before installing this modification.

With the initial release of Multiple Account Detection & Prevention, I believe that I have fixed previous bugs/complications as well as improved the efficiency and logic of the code. This is my first publicly released modification. I would appreciate any comments and suggestions!

Confirmed! This works perfectly on all vBulletin 3.6, 3.7, and 3.8 versions.

Unfortunately, I cannot give support right now. I may be able to help periodically, but until my schedule yields some more free time, I won't be much support. Please check back in a week or two.

Basic Details
File Edits: None
Template Edits: None
New Files: 6
Hooks/Plugins: 3
Global Phrases: 36
Install Time: 2 Minutes or Less
Install Difficulty: None, Very Easy

Features and Settings
- Login Detection
- Registration Prevention (Multiple Methods)
- Ignore Child Accounts
- Ignored Users
- Ignored Usergroups
- Ignored ISPs
- Prevention Usergroup
- IP Address Based Prevention
- Extended IP Address Prevention
- IP Address Time Inclusion
- Banned Account Check
- Primary Banned Usergroup
- Cookie Expiration Time
- Cookie Refreshing
- Cookie Name
- Cookie Reset
- Multiple Account Reporter
- Reports via PM
- PM Report Recipients
- Reports via New Thread
- Forum for Report Threads
- Verbose Mode
- BB Codes: LIST, URL, CODE

How it Works
With every newly recognized login/registration, an account-counting cookie is set (or added onto) with the member's User ID. Depending on the settings, Multiple Account Detection & Prevention will analyze the cookie during login/registration to see if there are any multiple accounts.

Login Detection offers cookie-checking and reporting. Registration Prevention offers the same thing, plus more advanced features. First of all, when it prevents an account from registering, it actually moves the registrant to the Prevention Usergroup so that the administration can review the case. This also allows for customized privileges for recognized multiple registrants. Registration Prevention also has IP address detection which finds out just as much information about users. Depending on an administrator's preference, this modification can also reban a new registrant if one of their previous accounts has been banned. In fact, if the administration wishes, multiple registrants can simply be denied registration all together.

Whenever there is a detection/prevention, the modification will report the information to the administration through private messages, a new thread, or both (depending on settings). The Multiple Account Reporter can be any valid user.

Known Issues
- vB Optimise users: Reporting via thread seems to get messed up by vB Optimise, so try reporting via PM instead.
- PhotoPost vBGallery users: The registration handling appears to not work properly when PhotoPost vBGallery is enabled.

From what I can tell, these known clashes have been caused by the other modification's coding. The author of vB Optimise will not even work with me to fix it. Until they improve their coding, I'm not sure if I can do anything about these issues. As far as I know, administrators that do not use the above modifications will not have any problems.

Installation / Upgrade
Unzip the package (madp.zip), upload the files to your forum location, and import the product file (allow overwrite if upgrading). Please read the ReadMe.txt file that is packaged with the modification for more information.

Please remember to mark this modification as installed if you use it!
If you like it, nominate it for the Mod of the Month!

Thank you!

[Megatr0n]

That was for Kiros72.

[onehost]

Too bad these good spam detectors are falling apart with age. I wish
someone could step in and pick up the slack. We always need the
best of spam security with VB at all times. Even if it works on newer
versions, mods should always be updated for secuirty reasons.

It seemed to install ok on v4.0.6, I have yet to test it on anyone yet

I tried it on myself since I would have the same IP using another username,
it seemed just to ignore the signup.

[Vegas Dude]

I installed this on V3.7.0 and 2 of my users got this error trying to login.

Warning: require_once([path]/madp/detection.php) [function.require-once]: failed to open stream: No such file or directory in [path]/includes/functions_login.php(185) : eval()'d code on line 3

Fatal error: require_once() [function.require]: Failed opening required '/home/xxxxx/public_html/forum/madp/detection.php' (include_path='.:/usr/lib/php:/usr/local/lib/php') in /home/xxxxx/public_html/forum/includes/functions_login.php(185) : eval()'d code on line 3

Any ideas why? It's disabled for now.

[underESTIMATED]

Any plans for vB4? I could really use it again.

Thanks!

[Vegas Dude]

Originally Posted by Vegas Dude

I installed this on V3.7.0 and 2 of my users got this error trying to login.

Warning: require_once([path]/madp/detection.php) [function.require-once]: failed to open stream: No such file or directory in [path]/includes/functions_login.php(185) : eval()'d code on line 3

Fatal error: require_once() [function.require]: Failed opening required '/home/xxxxx/public_html/forum/madp/detection.php' (include_path='.:/usr/lib/php:/usr/local/lib/php') in /home/xxxxx/public_html/forum/includes/functions_login.php(185) : eval()'d code on line 3

Any ideas why? It's disabled for now.

Nobody know?

[ezak]

Originally Posted by gnrx

Hello.
I have installed this mod in my forum (VB 3.8), and works fine, but, and configured for, report multiple accounts in one subforum, and when I search in this subform (I use a nick that I view was reporter in this subforum) the search not works, not appears any search. Also, I use text of posts of this subforum for search and appears any search.
I configured this subforum for search only to a Administrators.

Thanks and a regards.

same problem here, is there any way to use search for member on posted forum ?!

[Black Tiger]

I had the AE detector but neede something that moved users to the banned group.
This is great, I will install this one, thank you!

[Kiros72]

Originally Posted by underESTIMATED

Any plans for vB4? I could really use it again.

Thanks!

Just install it like you installed it on vB3. It should work just fine.

Originally Posted by Vegas Dude

Nobody know?

Those errors occur when you do not have the FILES uploaded correctly. Re-read the ReaMe file and follow the instructions. Like I have explained before, the files contained in the /madp/ directory should be uploaded to *forum root*/madp/ so that vBulletin can call the files correctly.

Originally Posted by ezak

same problem here, is there any way to use search for member on posted forum ?!

I have not counted on searching for the posts. An old friend has lent me a directory to test and work on this modification, so hopefully I'll be able to do some debugging soon. However, the computer containing my work for version 2.0 is on another machine in my household, which does not have a power supply at the moment. So while my buddy takes care of a few things on his server, I'll be trying to find a new power supply.

Just be patient, and I'll see what I can do. Until then, I recommend keeping the reports in a separate forum. Thanks

[haytham]

Right now I am sure 2 users are using the forum and it hasn't picked them up so I banned one but the other is still using the forum and still hasn't notified me. I am using 3.8.5.

[Alfa1]

I am running this on a big board and its certainly a live saver. We have 1250 report threads so far. (5-10 a day) So a big thanks to the coder!

We frequently do encounter a bug/error though, as it does not correctly identify if any of the multiple accounts are banned accounts.
Most reports state:

Primary Banned Usergroup: 8 (Found)

While none of the accounts are banned (8)

It would really help, if this issue would be solved, because it would allow us to use the built in functions to automatize part of the process. Making the system ban automatic while this issue is unresolved, would result in banning hundreds of innocent members.


I'd like to request three enhancements:

1. post new reports relating to the same user, to the existing thread.
2. if a report relates to a user that is in the banned group, put 'BANNED USER RETURNING:' in the thread title. This makes it easy for staff to identify the urgent cases.
3. when the alert is based upon IP, but not cookie, then its uncertain if it relates to the same user. This can be solved by checking if the IP is dynamic or static and comparing similarities in usernames, Date of birth, email domain, profile fields, Join Date & Last Post & Last Activity. Normally staff will do this by hand, which is quite a lot of work when you are getting reports in daily. All this can be done automatically, which would be a huge relieve on workload.

Also would like to remind to these suggestions, as they are buried in this thread:

Originally Posted by Alfa1

Some suggestions:

- After each account:

• Add a link to PM the member. (optimal would be a predefined PM text to be sent)
• Add a link to search the database for all IP's that belong to the account.
• Add a link to add the account to the miserable users group
• Add a link to add the account to 'Tachy goes to Coventry'
• Add a link to ban the member.

- Add a function to ignore the accounts or IPs in the future.
- If an IP is reported, then add the whois.