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

[XFSImperial]

Installed. No problems so far on 3.8.6

The past few days, there's been an excessive number of spammers and I've used Stop Forum Spam to verify before banning. Usually the spammers are manageable with only a handful month to month, but I had to ban 20 accounts in the past day, so it's getting a little out of hand.

I ran a test and tried to register with a spammer's email address and it was promptly blocked. Sure hope it continues to work against most of the bots.

[TPTP]

We've been getting slammed, too. So bad that I came back here to find that no solution was offered to the problem that I posted.

Originally Posted by adwade

In relation to the vBStopForumSpam MOD, users may also be interested in checking out ZB BLOCK. It just requires a single line of CODE added to your global.php file and your vB forum is protected. Oh yeah, and it's FREE

I installed ZB Block, and within minutes, baddies were being blocked. Bingo. Perfect. Thanks for making me aware of a perfect solution.

[ETDC]

Originally Posted by adwade

For now, I disabled the test user name function of this MOD

Good call - you wouldn't want to alienate legit sign-ups.

[cnredd]

I posted this in the 3.6 area, but didn't get a response, so I'll try here...

Originally Posted by cnredd

I installed on my forum (3.8.2), but I get a blank page when I click to check the logfile (all white next to the menu)...

I've seen where a couple of people got blank pages when they attempt to submit, but I don't even get that far...

[adwade]

Your LINK should (most probably) be:

www.politicalwrinkles.com/forums/admincp/vbstopforumspam.php

Assuming your forum is installed in a /forums Directory off the public_html directory on your server.

[cnredd]

Originally Posted by adwade

Your LINK should (most probably) be:

www.politicalwrinkles.com/forums/admincp/vbstopforumspam.php

Assuming your forum is installed in a /forums Directory off the public_html directory on your server.

Thanks for the try, but that doesn't appear to be it...

As you can see, both the Moderator Log above and the Schedule Log below are in the same directory as the vBStopForumSpam log, so that can't be it....



I do notice the "?do=choose" at the end of the Mod log and Sched log addresses...That's not at the end of the address for vbstopforumspam.php...I don't know if that plays into it...

[cnredd]

Been 5 days...tryin' again...

Originally Posted by cnredd

I installed on my forum (3.8.2), but I get a blank page when I click to check the logfile (all white next to the menu)...

I've seen where a couple of people got blank pages when they attempt to submit, but I don't even get that far...

[cnredd]

Anyone?

[scott_gersforum]

This is a great mod - has vastly reduced the spammers I have on my forum.

[mangus580]

Great Mod! - is there anything similar that can run against the current user database?