Administrative and Maintenance Tools - vbStopForumSpam - known spammer lookup for new registrations

vbStopForumSpam

This provides access to a RBL type system for forum admins, listing known spam IP / email / usernames. The RBL database is provided by www.stopforumspam.com. You do NOT need an API key from the website in order to access the database. only to submit data if you should wish to do so.

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.

Whilst this isnt the most perfect way to stop all forum spam, its another step that spammers have to overcome.

VB4 here https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthrea...hreadid=230921
Its the same code, it works in 3.54 to 4.0


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.

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. You do not need to download the product-vbstopforumspam-3.54.xml file unless you are using a vBulletin version older than 3.6.0

Changes to vB
- 3 new database tables
- 2 database table alternations
- No new templates.
- 2 Hook (register_addmember_process & register_addmember_complete)

Ive tested it but had feedback that it works with versions as old as 3.6.2... Support should go back to older versions, as long as they have hook support for 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/showpost....&postcount=288

Reported in the thread to work
- 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, 4.0beta3

If you have 3.54, then you can use the product-vbstopforumspam-3.54.xml file attached instead of the one in the ZIP file, which will allow older vBulletin versions to access this mods' features. I personally havent tested this version, its a user contribution, thanks to Darrell Mobley, that changes the way the XML works when imported into older versions.

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+

Future versions
- Automatic integration into vBulletin to add users to the stopForumSpam.com database from a form
- Whitelisting of username / IP / email addresses
- AJAX integration to allow for lookups from within the users profile
- Decreased remote query count from three per user to one per user.

Versions / Changes

0.1 Initial Release

0.2 pedigrees special brew birthday release.
- Small security update. If you have 0.1 installed, download 0.2 and replace your existing functions_vbsfs.php with the one in the archive. It just tests to see if its running inside the VB framework before anything else. This is what happens when you code at 2am after drinking wine

0.3
- stopped it processing valid registrations twice
- moved all non-function code into the plugin. Not a big one as 0.2 basically did that
- fixed a typo in the log pruner that stopped it working (404)
- removed unused fields from the database for people with mysql that doesnt support varchar > 255 (ie mySQL4). If you have 0.2 installed and dont need to prune your logs just yet, you dont really need to install this version but can instead wait for 1.0 unless of a massive security update.

0.4
- logs registrations that arent/wouldnt be blocked
- fixed XML errors when username has a space it in
- tightened up the cache so that it doesnt test a username against an email name to give a bypass result (for when a username is an email address that isnt banned where the email address is)
- fixed some basic logic errors in the PHP

0.6
- Should work on PHP 4.4 now - rewrote the XML with PHP4 in mind (tested on Apache2.0/PHP 4.4.3)
- Fixed a caching system where data wasnt being updated correctly which could cause a remote query when one wasnt needed
- Possible false negative situation when a spammer was blocked due to SFS.com being down who then visited again when it was up but within the cache expiry time
- Remote query failure when the result page isnt XML should work a bit better now. It does a very basic test for valid XML results.
- Fixed log purging (again) and it should actually work properly now.
- No longer requires PHP5
- The log viewer now links to a user profile when registration is allowed.

v0.61 - Removed a template change that was invalid vBulletin code. The package you download will still say its 0.60 however

NB : When upgrading from any version to 0.6, you must remove and then add the plugin due to changes in one of the database tables

You need to have an API key from www.stopforumspam.com in order to submit data, its free and easy to get... You DONT need an API key in order to use this mod however, only to submit spammer data.

Issues are
- The usergroup permissions / view details etc DONT work. I jumped the gun and put the permissions controls in there before I put the code in. Please delete the includes/xml/bitfield_vbstopforumspam.xml file and rebuild your postbit

Installation
- Follow the instructions in the zip file, that includes upload the correct folders
- ONLY download the 3.54 xml file if youre using a vbulletin version prior to 3.6.0. use this file to install the mod instead of the xml file in the zip file.

Please click Installed

[pedigree]

Hmm, Ive done something bad here.

In between testing, copying/pasting from the server to my local machine to ZIP up the files, Ive made a bad mistake in the instructions

ALL THOSE THAT MODDED THEIR TEMPLATES, NEED TO DO THIS

Edit template MEMBERINFO

- Find this and delete

<if condition="$permissions[vbstopforumspamviewpermissions]1">
	<div class="fieldset">Last IP Address : $bbuserinfo[ipaddress]
		<a href="http://www.stopforumspam.com/ipcheck/$bbuserinfo[ipaddress]" target="_blank"><img 

src="$stylevar[imgdir_statusicon]/vbsfs_view.gif" alt="View IP details at www.StopForumSpam.com" border="0">
		</a>
		<if condition="$permissions[vbstopforumspamsubmitpermissions]"><a href="#not_working_yet_$bbuserinfo[ipaddress]"><img 

src="$stylevar[imgdir_statusicon]/vbsfs_submit.gif" alt="Submit spam user details to www.StopForumSpam.com"  border="0"></a></if>
	</div>
</if>

Or revert the template if youve made no other changes

God knows what I was thinking but unless you do this, people will see IP numbers of visitors.

Ive very sorry for this and thanks to Wired1 for making me think about it.

Ill be removing this from the instructions, reloading v0.61 without any template changes. In v0.7, the template changes will be automatic and verified completely

[Wired1]

Originally Posted by pedigree

Ahh, thats why I think I didnt mod that block in the mod.

Instructions need to be clarified then (at least for 3.7.x). Currently they say edit MEMBERINFO and look for:

<if condition="$vboptions['usereferrer']">

Looks like as of 3.7.x, they moved that code into the template I mentioned.

[J98680Bxxxxx]

Thanks pedigree!

I have been blocking, using other mods, quite a lot of spammers coming from China lately. Will add this mod as an additional line of defense.

:up:

[pedigree]

Originally Posted by Wired1

Instructions need to be clarified then (at least for 3.7.x). Currently they say edit MEMBERINFO and look for:

<if condition="$vboptions['usereferrer']">

Looks like as of 3.7.x, they moved that code into the template I mentioned.

Well, I completely bollocks up one of the most basic mistakes in PHP, the = and == comparisons If you modded the MEMBERINFO template, you need to undo the changes (or revert the template if no other changes have been made to it)

Ive uploaded v0.61 without template mods in the instructions, have notified those with "installed" to undo the template changes.

The core backend code will work on 3.6 and 3.7 and Ive code most of the code written for 3.7 that integrates a tab in the User Profile, based on the group list in the options (new configuration lists in v0.7) Until then however, Ill be testing the access controls like a nut job trying to get out of a box. All the template changes will be automatically parsed with hooks.

[Twin_Turbo]

Why remove that section of code? Just add conditionals around it, that'll hide it from normal users

PHP Code:

<if condition="can_moderate()"> .... </if> 


[pedigree]

Originally Posted by Twin_Turbo

Why remove that section of code? Just add conditionals around it, that'll hide it from normal users

PHP Code:

<if condition="can_moderate()"> .... </if> 


and

That as well but I wanted to make sure that nothing sneaked out... It was "Panic stations"

[Wired1]

Originally Posted by pedigree

Ive uploaded v0.61 without template mods in the instructions, have notified those with "installed" to undo the template changes.

Was that the only template edit in the old instructions?

When attempting to upgrade from 0.6 to 0.61, I get this error:

Database error in vBulletin 3.7.0:

Invalid SQL:
ALTER TABLE usergroup ADD vbstopforumspamviewpermissions INT( 10 ) UNSIGNED DEFAULT '0' NOT NULL;

MySQL Error   : Duplicate column name 'vbstopforumspamviewpermissions'
Error Number  : 1060
Request Date  : Tuesday, May 27th 2008 @ 03:11:56 PM
Error Date    : Tuesday, May 27th 2008 @ 03:11:56 PM
Script        : <ADMIN CP LOCATION>/plugin.php?do=productimport
Referrer      : <ADMIN CP LOCATION>/plugin.php?do=productadd
IP Address    : 97.100.166.130
Username      : Wired
Classname     : vB_Database
MySQL Version : 5.0.51b-community-nt

[pedigree]

It was only the template edit, you dont need to reimport from 0.60 to 0.61

Although Im suprised to see that error. Ill have to add a check to test for suplicate posbfits like that.. It shouldnt ever happen

The uninstall drops those two columns from the database

    $db->query_write("ALTER TABLE " . TABLE_PREFIX . "usergroup DROP vbstopforumspamviewpermissions");
    $db->query_write("ALTER TABLE " . TABLE_PREFIX . "usergroup DROP vbstopforumspamsubmitpermissions");

You might have to run drop uninstall/reinstall and if that fails, drop them from phpMyAdmin.

Im going to look how that could possibly happen

Theyre going to be gone in v0.7 anyway.

[Thomas P]

Great work - I think this is very promising.

@pedigree: You got PN, I think I have something for you

[pedigree]

Wired I can only think that you didnt uninstall, thus it tried to recreate the postbits. Ive set the XML to ignore DB errors in the case of a force reinstall/overwrite