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

[FitgirlWorld]

thanks for a great mod..

lets hope this works for me

[BrightStar]

This is an awersome mod. Thanks a lot

[WickedWeb]

Im messed up somewhere. I have it enabled for ip and emails addresses, and disabled for usernames. I have it so its supposed to log and block registration if either match the data. Query connection timeout is set to allow registration.

To test this after installing I tried signing up with a listed spammer information on the stopforumspam site. It logged that the database match the entry but it still allowed registration due to policy it says. Another weird thing is that i have email verification on and after signing up it said I need to verify my email. This should have put me in the "Users awaiting email validation" group. However it did not. With no email validation I was able to take the spam account and post on my forum with no email error messages. The user I made was directly promoted to a regular user but I have no such promotion set up. Some real issues for me right now.. Also I have no language reference to frontend erorr text. What is going on? I uploaded all the files in the package for 3.8.x and also uploaded the product xml file. Any ideas for me to check into?

The reason query connection timeout still allows registration is in case stopforumspam goes down I want people to still be able to sign up.. Just now double checked something else too.. SQL did not execute on product import.. Tried it manually and it returned sql syntax errors.

[WickedWeb]

Does every field that you enable (username, ip, email) have to match before registration is denied? I tried making test accounts from users in the database at stopforum spam and registration is still being allowed. The only difference is my ip is different. I have all 3 enabled. I am unable to create a denied account.

[pedigree]

No, just one of the fields. Its not so much as a "match these fields", its more of a "match any of these fields".

It sounds like you need to change to option to Block instead of the allow

[pedigree]

deleted

[pedigree]

deleted, my bad

[babynino]

Best mod ever... moderators can now focus with other forum related matters. Spambot activity has gone down to almost zero ever since I installed this mod on my forum.

Thanks so much!

[ShadMan]

Terrific hack, thanks!

[ascender]

Originally Posted by wmelnick

Following the installation instructions gives "Invalid File Specified" when I try to import it. Any ideas?

W

Same error message here on 3.8.4. No other mods have failed in this manner and can't see anything out of the ordinary.

I'm getting hammered with spam by PM just now, where do I start in finding out why this won't install?

Thanks