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

[gerbil249]

Another question,

I hope I did this right, tell me if I did.

I dragged the upload files to the public_html folder in my ftp program.

Then I imported it in the admincp.

I now see it in the vb options.

Did I do everything right?

[El Orans]

Originally Posted by skippybosco

@El Orans: That path should be changed to what is relevant to your vB install and whether you changed the path of your admin control panel such as:

http://yourdomain.com/vb/admin/vbstopforumspam.php

Alternative, assuming you have stopforumspam installed and working:

1) log into your admin control panel
2) look for the sidebar on the left side and scroll to the bottom (Statistics and Logs)
3) Expand the "Statistics and Logs" section
4) You should see a "vbStopForumSpam Logs"

Oh, it is working but when I run vbstopforumspam.php it only gives me a blank page in the Admin CP framework.

I also noticed it when doing an upgrade to 3.8.4. The upgrade script seems to generate a blank page, nothing else.

[pedigree]

Originally Posted by El Orans

Oh, it is working but when I run vbstopforumspam.php it only gives me a blank page in the Admin CP framework.

I also noticed it when doing an upgrade to 3.8.4. The upgrade script seems to generate a blank page, nothing else.

Hmm, thats strange. If you dont mind and if you have access my phpmyadmin (or the likes), could you spare me a couple of minutes to help me fix your blank page issue? If so, send me a PM and we can talk there.

[pedigree]

Originally Posted by gerbil249

Another question,

I hope I did this right, tell me if I did.

I dragged the upload files to the public_html folder in my ftp program.

Then I imported it in the admincp.

I now see it in the vb options.

Did I do everything right?

Sounds like it to me. You can test it by going to www.stopforumspam.com, picking a random username from the homepage and attempting to register on your forum with it (if you have username filetering enabled that is). If you get an "sod odd" error, then youre set.

[pedigree]

Originally Posted by 93Corvette

Being a Newbie, I found this mod very simple to install.

I'm still using 3.7.4 PL1, and the only thing I would change in the Installation.txt file is this:
Is:
4 - You can edit the default rejection message by Admin Control Panel / Languages & Phrases / Phrase Manager / Front-End Error Messages / vbstopformspam_reject and vbstopformspam_reject_connectionerror

Change to this:
4 - You can edit the default rejection message by Admin Control Panel / Languages & Phrases / Phrase Manager / Pull down: Error Messages / vbstopformspam_reject and vbstopformspam_reject_connectionerror
---------------
Now I hope some spammers come along so I can see this work.... From what I understand, I just look in the ACP/Statistics and Logs for vbStopForumSpam Logs correct?

Will do and yes, thats right, thats where you can see the logs from the mod.

[El Orans]

Originally Posted by pedigree

Hmm, thats strange. If you dont mind and if you have access my phpmyadmin (or the likes), could you spare me a couple of minutes to help me fix your blank page issue? If so, send me a PM and we can talk there.

PM sent.

[gerbil249]

now when I try to register a normal name, it wont work, it says this,

Warning: require_once(includes/functions_vbsfs.php) [function.require-once]: failed to open stream: No such file or directory in [path]/register.php(385) : eval()'d code on line 76

Fatal error: require_once() [function.require]: Failed opening required 'includes/functions_vbsfs.php' (include_path='.:/usr/lib/php:/usr/local/lib/php') in /home/realshi1/public_html/register.php(385) : eval()'d code on line 76"

What happened? I used 0.61 and I didn't delete anything, even though the instruction said to.

[Kat]

I just checked and I have 542 log entries since I installed this a few weeks ago. And I also have Stop the Bots installed so that bounces several spammers a day too.

My question is, how often should we delete the log files? Does it matter?

[pedigree]

@Kat It doesnt really matter, the table size for that data is nothing compared to vbulletin. You can delete it as little or as much as you like

[pedigree]

Originally Posted by gerbil249

now when I try to register a normal name, it wont work, it says this,


Warning: require_once(includes/functions_vbsfs.php) [function.require-once]: failed to open stream: No such file or directory in [path]/register.php(385) : eval()'d code on line 76

Fatal error: require_once() [function.require]: Failed opening required 'includes/functions_vbsfs.php' (include_path='.:/usr/lib/php:/usr/local/lib/php') in /home/realshi1/public_html/register.php(385) : eval()'d code on line 76"

What happened? I used 0.61 and I didn't delete anything, even though the instruction said to.

You havent installed it properly, in that you havent uploaded the files in the "upload" folder to your public_html folder. The cause is in the error "includes/functions_vbsfs.php" not found.

My mod required no files to be deleted.