Miscellaneous Hacks - Ban Spiders by User Agent

What this mod does
With this mod you can enter User Agents to watch or ban, you can also recieve emails or have an Output.txt created and updated with time and date of visits. It doesn't just have to be spiders, you can watch, log or ban any useragent!

How to install
Simply import the product ban_spider, the mod is active by default but none of the other options are turned on.

What is a UserAgent?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_agent

Understanding a UserAgent string
http://user-agent-string.info/parse

Genuine User Getting Blocked?
https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showpost....&postcount=105

Tools to help
http://whatsmyuseragent.com/SwitchingUserAgents.asp
http://www.botsvsbrowsers.com/SimulateUserAgent.asp

FAQ
https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showpost....&postcount=137

What's a bot?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spambot

How do i ban a bot?
https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showpost....&postcount=318
https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showpost....7&postcount=51

Where's output.txt located?
https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showpost....&postcount=216

Bad bot lists
https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showpost....&postcount=259
https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showpost....&postcount=224
https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showpost....&postcount=281

VB4.x Version of Ban Spiders By User Agent

Tested on vb3.7.x, vB3.8.x but should work on any version.

__________________________________________________ __________________
Special thanks to:
Lior
KH99
BoP5
for helping me sort out a few issues

...and beta testers
ForceHSS (Special thanks to Force for latest testing)
ozzy47
GreyHost

If you use this please mark as INSTALLED

History
9th June 2011 Orginal xml added
12th June 2011 Added both email notification and text file logging
22nd June 2011 Version 2.0.0, Added create thread on activity

1. Added match facility you can now use something like Yandex and it will match MOZILLA/5.0 (COMPATIBLE; YANDEXBOT/3.0; +HTTP://YANDEX.COM/BOTS)
2. Added clickable link to visited thread

22nd September 2011 added user redirect url selection
08th October Beta testing started for thread creation.
20th October Beta testing started for emailing.
21st October Beta testing complete Ver 3.0.0 uploaded
29th October minor fix added to cope with empty userid on thread creation
30th October Beta testing automatic redirection to spiders/bots IP
31st October New xml uploaded with automatic redirect to IP
25th November Minor fix for blank forumid fixed
26th November 2011 Fixed version check & create thread Off by default
17th December 2014 Version 3.1.0 uploaded, Extra logging and statistics added by Ozzy47 (Chris)
18th December 2014 Version 3.1.2 uploaded, due to rogue process from other mod
18th December 2014 Version 3.1.3 uploaded, due to previous one being VB4 mistakingly uploaded

The Bad Bots list is now included in the product
Please prune out all those that you wish to be able to see your site (i suggest you definately prune out "DA" and "Custo" :

Support will now only be given to those who have this mod marked as INSTALLED

[ponydaddy]

any way this will work on 4.1.5 PL1

[Simon Lloyd]

Uninstall this version and install the version for vb4.x.x https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthread.php?t=268208

[ForceHSS]

both of the files are the same why install the other one when both are the same?

[ponydaddy]

force is right both are the same. Any way will install the other one

[Simon Lloyd]

Originally Posted by ForceHSS

both of the files are the same why install the other one when both are the same?

Originally Posted by ponydaddy

force is right both are the same. Any way will install the other one

Yes they are but vb3.x.x and vb4.x.x are different and produce different errors...etc to each other, it would be wrong to confuse a vb3 thread with answers to vb4 errors

[Simon Lloyd]

List of bad bots added in modification description, please remember to prune out all those that you wish to be able to see your site!

[Lee G]

Good to see this one has not been abandoned like another mod seems on here :up:
If we want to add blocks on other user agents that have spaces in them ie Windows XP, MSIE 7.0b or MSIE 5.0

Would it be a simple case of Windows\XP MSIE\5

With \ indicating the space

If anyone wonders why those three have been singles out, there is no such user agent as Windows XP, MSIE 5 is god knows how many years old and MSIE 7.0b is a beta version and windows auto updates

[Simon Lloyd]

Lee, the mod looks for a text match so "Windows\XP" will be different to "Windows XP" although i will do some testing as i've had a minor issue raised in the vb4 version that a single user can't login and gets redirected but nothing in his UA matches anything in their list, so it may be a partial match where there is a space.........i'll post back when the issue has been investigated and resolved.

[Lee G]

Been having a play and its beyond simple for banning them :up:
Windows XP is just that. Windows 3.1. 95 and ME were those endings in the user agents, but XP is a fake one. Microsoft changed how it was displayed in the user agent to Windows NT 5.1

I run a test on bots vrs browsers user agent test if a block is working
http://www.botsvsbrowsers.com/SimulateUserAgent.asp

Add the user agent to admin cp and then do a test there to see if its killed them.
In your file you have SOSO from China, they have now changed their user agent to jikespider

[Simon Lloyd]

Lee, thanks for info and the testing, so as i said "windows xp" is different to "windows\xp" in your test?