Miscellaneous Hacks - Stop the Registration Bots

Control your vBulletin forum registration process and stop the registration bots.

This mod will check the the time it takes for a vBulletin registration form to be submitted. If the form is submitted faster then humanly possible, the registration will be denied and the admin contact will be emailed about the event. The time is settable

We will start the registration on the forum rules page in two ways. First we will add a custom hidden field with a hash. Second we will insert a randomly named hidden field with a random value. This should make it a bit difficult to program a bot since the field names on all sites will be different as well as the values.

We will use a second set of random hidden fields on the form page as well to add to the confusion.

Time stamps to check the time spent on registration submission are stored in a DB table and private.

A registration will have to come through the Rules page and the form. Every Site will be different.

Installation is very easy.

There are two templates to edit.
One database table is added.
Three hooks are utilized.
Includes uninstall code.
Adds to vBulletin options.
Set time frame option.
Includes Phrases.
Sends Mail to Admin.
No files to upload.
XML product install.
Instructions attached in zip.

Demo usage and view source at http://www.riderinfo.com/

Compatibility
This hack is known to work on vBulletin 3.6.11 PL1 and will likely work back a few versions in the 3.6.x vBulletin series. Of course it works on 3.7.x as posted too.

HISTORY
1.2.2
added admin email on/off setting
moved hook code to files to reduce overhead.
1.2.1
Added Enable/Disable setting.
Fixed coppa includes file probem
Added file upload instructions to readme file.
1.2.0
Added JS timer to registration button.
Added enable/diable for email.
Removed ACP settings for random fields on rules and reg form pages and automated.
Reworded Pharses in ACP.
Recoded rules form and reg form edits.
Renamed variables for better code following.
Added more DB fields per user reg for tracking random automation.
New Hook on start_registration for functions.
Added new functions file. includes/stb_functions.php.
1.0.3
Changed input user name on rules form to random named hidden field with hash value.
Removed \n chars from email phrases.
All changes to registration are transparent to the folks registering.
Renamed DB username field to hash.
New hook on register_signup.
1.0.2
Added new Pre Reg Name hidden field to register form edits and ACP.
Added code to deal transparently with user deciding to change name after pre submitting it.
1.0.1
Fixed typo, changed 36000 to 3600 in product file.
1.0.0
Original Release.

[bryanb]

Is there anyway for the response email to include the IP address of the bot? I'm getting about 50-70 of these a day. It would be nice to record the IP and block it.


Fantastic mod by the way. :up:

[bryanb]

Just a side note - if you want to ensure that your forum is 100% bot free, make sure you moderate registrations. I still have some that sneak through.

I have a number of fields to fill out when registering (hobbies, favorite movies, etc.) it's going to take at least a minute to fill out the registration form, so I have the minimum time set to 25 seconds. I have about a bot a day filling out the form longer than this, thus ending up in the moderated queue. Just a heads up.

[bryanb]

Originally Posted by bryanb

Is there anyway for the response email to include the IP address of the bot? I'm getting about 50-70 of these a day. It would be nice to record the IP and block it.


Fantastic mod by the way. :up:

Could anyone show me how to add the IP address of the bot in the response email??

Thanks!

[hazzard 1]

I am new to this and I am already experiencing bots. Excuse the Newbie questions...

Does this work in the newest version of vbulletin 3.8?

The includes folder that is in this download.......Where do I upload it to since I already have an includes folder in my site from vbulletin?

Thanks

[jaredwilli]

I had installed this, but Im running vb 3.8.1, and I found that it doesn't allow registrations at all..
Would this mod be made for 3.8.x vbulletin by any chance?
I really hope so because the spam registrations are out of control.

[pts123]

***Forth: Upload the contents of the upload folder.


***Fifth: In the vBulletin Admin Control Panel Product Manager Add/Import the attached product xml file.


***Sixth
In the ACP under vBulletin options, set up the options under
"Stop the Registration Bots Options". Make all random fields unique to your site.


That's it. Your registration process is highly modified and fast submissions and direct
submissions will be denied registration.

Good luck!

Above is the portion of the installation text file, where I am stuck? Where do I upload the contents of the upload folder, specifically? And the contents in the upload folder are in another folder called "includes". Do I want to copy it, the folder with everything in it, or go down further to the seperate files? Again, where do I copy it for the next step?

Then it says to go to vBulletin Admin Control Panel Product Manager Add/Import. I do not find that on the menu? What am I missing?

And step six really confuses me? I did the first three steps and saved it so, if I could get the rest, "Help" The bots are killing me!

Jerry in KC

Jdwyer@ptsnetwork.com

[pts123]

After finishing this mod, I tried the registration to make sure it would work for a normal human and I got this as soon I clicked on registration:
---------------------------------------------------------
Warning: require_once([path]/includes/stb_functions.php) [function.require-once]: failed to open stream: No such file or directory in [path]/register.php(81) : eval()'d code on line 4

Fatal error: require_once() [function.require]: Failed opening required '/home/pts123/public_html/k0gq.com/forums/includes/stb_functions.php' (include_path='.:/usr/lib/php:/usr/local/lib/php') in /home/pts123/public_html/k0gq.com/forums/register.php(81) : eval()'d code on line 4
---------------------------------------------------------
I thought I did the template edits very carefully. Can anyone see what this error is telling me, ahhh?

Jerry in KC

[David Bott]

Greetings....

Operational question...

I was using IsBot ver 1.0 that more or less did a time check. I had A LOT of mails coming in about BOT's that were stopped.

I just installed this version onto 3.7.X Vb on two different sites. The thing is...No more notices have been sent. (Yes, I have the setting to send the mail.)

So, the question is, what needs to take place for the e-mail to be sent? I see this new version has a count down before a registration button can be clicked so I am guessing this might have something to do with it??? Heck I even went as far as turning off the human verification check to see if I then would be flooded with notices. But nothing when I was getting a number of isBot notices.

Can you please advise one

1) What needs to take place for the e-mail to be sent?
2) Any way to test it?
3) Anyway to verify any of this is working?

As mentioned, the older one that just checked amount of time that had past was sending out notices.

Thanks you.

On sites... http://www.avsforum.com & http://www.dbstalk.com

Regards,

[David Bott]

In thinking about the issue above, as I have yet to receive one notice of attempt, does the count down before they can click "register" kind of defeat the purpose of the timing between the page submission? As such, does an e-mail ever get sent then as the time has always gone past the value set before they can submit? I mean, all the bot's need to do is now set a timer or something. (for this time they know the site is using this method of checking.) They can see the setting after all in the page...

countdown = 15;
actualcountdown = 15;

Anyone, any thoughts as the author has not been on the site from the beginning of February.

Please advise.

Thank you.

[losedude]

Well I just installed this and if it works you are a life saver. I just pruned out 1000 damn spam bots.