Miscellaneous Hacks - NoSpam! - an alternative to CAPTCHA images

This hack is for vBulletin 3.6.x. For 3.5.x, please use the one provided in this thread. If you are using 3.7.x, you must use the one in this thread.

This simple hack is meant as a replacement for the default CAPTCHA system in vBulletin. There are two main reasons one might want to do this: firstly, new technology is constantly being developed to crack CAPTCHA images and make spam accounts anyway, and secondly, the more secure the CAPTCHA, the more difficult it is for genuine users to tell what the numbers in the image are. There is also the issue of visually impaired users, and the fact that not all servers are capable of generating CAPTCHA images.

So what does this hack do instead? It asks a question. Any question you want. That's the best part: YOU make up the questions, which means that every forum is unique, which means that it is impossible for spambots to be simply programmed to bypass it at all forums with the hack installed. You can make one or many questions - if you make many, the hack will pick one at random when a guest attempts to register, search, post or send mail through the Contact Us form. Their input is compared with your specified answer, and voil?, if they get it right they're pretty much guaranteed to be human. If they get it wrong, they're given an error message.

It doesn't have to be a complicated question. Heck, you can just make it "Please type 'blah' into this box." Or you can go with inserting a simple image with HTML and ask what is shown on the image. Or you can ask them to tell you two plus two. It's up to you. In fact, this can also be used as a means of forcing people to read the rules by asking for a certain password found there, or if your forum focuses on a specialized subject, ask a question concerning the subject that all your genuine users will be able to answer, but a random troll or "CAPTCHA-sweatshop-reader" will be scratching their head over.

It's simple to install, too: just one product to import, and that's it.


VERSION HISTORY:

3.0: Added functionality to allow users to specify which pages should use NoSpam!.
2.0: Extended the NoSpam! functionality to guest posts, guest searches and guest "Contact Us" in addition to registration.
1.1: Made template edit automatic (with thanks to Cole2026), added ability to have more than one answer to each question, and made answers case insensitive. To upgrade, I recommend undoing the template edit so you won't have to worry about it anymore (replace $nospamfield in the template register with $imagereg, or if you added $nospamfield above $imagereg, just remove $nospamfield altogether), and then reimport the product through the Admin CP (making sure that Allow Overwrite is set to On).
1.0: Initial release.


INSTALLATION:

Please download NoSpam!.zip, not product-nospam.xml, for the tested version. product.nospam.xml is NoSpam! 4.0 adapted blindly to 3.6, i.e. by editing the XML file for the 3.7 version without actually testing it on a 3.6 board. Theoretically it should work, but I cannot guarantee it at this time. If you download NoSpam!.zip and unzip it, it will contain another file called product.nospam.xml, which you should use.

1. Import product-nospam.xml through the Admin CP product manager.
2. Go to your vBulletin options in the Admin CP and select NoSpam! Settings. Once there, turn the system on and input your questions and answers according to the instructions there.

The system should now be functional and running.


UNINSTALLATION:

Just uninstall the product through the Admin CP.


SUPPORT:

Full support will be given here in this thread. All suggestions are welcome.

Thank you and please click "Mark as Installed" if you like it.


If NoSpam! is not working for you or you are looking for something a little different, you might want to check out Advanced Textual Confirmation.

[Videx]

Originally Posted by BicyclePunk

How do I remove it so people can register and/or I use the new built-in Human Verification in 7.1. Thanks!

Simply uninstall it from Manage Products.

[BicyclePunk]

D'oh! If it were any easier, I would have tripped on it. Thanks so much! All fixed!

[XXP]

I modified the NoSpam! code to work with vB 3.7. I'll attach it here as a .zip. Treat it exactly the same as before except that this one will only work with 3.7+ vB.

As before, NoSpam! 3.7 will still let you have both the captcha image and the NoSpam question.

NB: if Antialias would like to take it and publish it for 3.7 that would be fine.

NB: The mod is simple. In the script for the NoSpam! plugin component called "Generate and insert NoSpam! question", every instance of old vB variable "$imagereg" is replaced with the new term "$human_verify".

NB: I've labeled this modified version as 3.7 simply to align it with the vB version with which it works. Call it 3.1 or "Bob" if you prefer.

NOTE: this modified version of NoSpam! will only work with 3.7+ vBulletin templates. It will not work with earlier versions. Do not use with vB 3.6.x or earlier.

Hope you all find this helpful. Still love this mod, Antialias.

[XXP]

Originally Posted by bmwusa

does it work on 3.7.0 ?????
thank you for your answer!!!

:up: Yes; if you use the modified version attached to my previous post today.

[mmm3]

Just want to THANK YOU again for this mod!

I tried turning it off and got 3 porn spams in a few minutes. With it turned on, I'm lucky if I get 1 spam a month!

It allows me to keep guest posting enabled, (which is why I went with Vbulletin in the first place).

[eJM]

Wow, XXP, your dedication and support of this mod is really appreciated. Thanks for the work you put into it. You know, the author hasn't responded to this discussion since June 10 of last year. Maybe you should just post a new mod for 3.7.x with your code edits and give antialiasis credit for the original code and let's be done with him. I don't know why he said this hack was supported, when he doesn't support it.

R'gards,

Jim

[kyhorse]

I'm running 3.6.8 and have a few problems. I've went through and installed both quickregister and nospam based on the instructions. All appears fine. My issue has to do with the nospam questions. If I have both quick register and nospam on at the same time, quickregister displays a question, but it always reports the answer is incorrect. And this is with using 2+2equals:4 for testing.

If I have quickregister off and only using nospam, when registering the question(s) are not displayed. When you complete user registration it reports the questions were answered improperly. I went back through the edits documented as well, double checking and all show as they should.

Ideas or thoughts?

[ArnyVee]

Thanks XXP! You are THE man! Unless you're a woman....in that case, you are THE woman!

Here's the post with the 3.7+ version that XXP posted a page or two ago....

https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showpost....&postcount=765

[kyhorse]

Disregard my post about needing help. I uninstalled both nospam and quickregister. Went back and installed NoSpam by itself and was able to get the NoSpam question(s) to appear in the registration form.

Thanks.

[z0diac]

Originally Posted by bmwusa

does it work on 3.7.0 ?????
thank you for your answer!!!

Does not work on 3.7.1 - it actually screws everything up. I upgraded from 3.6.8 to 3.7.1 awhile back, and just had an email yesterday actually saying that the user couldn't register because it said he answered the NoSpam! question wrong, but there WAS no Nospam questions asked!

So I checked, and yep, I haven't had a new user in MONTHS! (used to get a few a day)