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]

Originally Posted by pedigree

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.

So, when I click the upload folder, it takes me to 3 different folders to chose from, originally, I dragged the entire upload folder to the public_html folder, and I got this error, what should I do? Drag each one of those 3 individual folders to public_html? Or what?

[pedigree]

Originally Posted by gerbil249

So, when I click the upload folder, it takes me to 3 different folders to chose from, originally, I dragged the entire upload folder to the public_html folder, and I got this error, what should I do? Drag each one of those 3 individual folders to public_html? Or what?

Yes, as is says in the instructions

[gerbil249]

Originally Posted by pedigree

Yes, as is says in the instructions

alright, and how can I fix the error? Just install it correctly?

[pedigree]

Installing it properly will result in no errors

[Kat]

Put includes in your forum/includes folder, images in your forum/images folder and admincp in forum/admincp or whatever your admin folder is called.

Sorry, I know you already answered his question but the answer was a bit confusing to me so I thought I would just explain it from a different angle.

[gerbil249]

Originally Posted by Kat

Put includes in your forum/includes folder, images in your forum/images folder and admincp in forum/admincp or whatever your admin folder is called.

Sorry, I know you already answered his question but the answer was a bit confusing to me so I thought I would just explain it from a different angle.

Okay, I did what you said to do,

Now, I deleted the file when I originally attempted and resulted in a registration error. I did everything correctly, putting the files in the correct place, such as, Public_html > Includes Then I drag the folder to it.

And I still get the error. What could be the problem?


"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"

[gerbil249]

I still get the same error I did when registering a regular account, and I deleted the file that I messed up on, and I did what you said.

I clicked on public_html, then I dragged the includes folder to the includes. And same for all. And I deleted the one folder I messed up on.

Why is this still happening? What am I doing wrong?

[bouvier]

I did a dry run of installing VBStopforumspam on a test install of vbulletin v 3.8.4. The test install worked fine, no problems.

Then I followed the same steps on the live system. A database error was reported by vb.
Specifically
Database error in vBulletin 3.8.4:

Invalid SQL:

REPLACE INTO datastore
(title, data, unserialize)
VALUES
('options',

This was followed by all the replace values.

Now when I go into vb options and try to shut down the forum.. I get the same db error. I then uninstalled the VBStopForumSpam mod . The system threw another db error (same as above) however looking at the installed products list, the mod is not listed any more. So part of the uninstall worked.

The log files were never listed on the production server. They were listed on the test server after the install.

It looks like the original install only partially completed.

At the bottom of the log entry it reads:

MySQL Error : Got a packet bigger than 'max_allowed_packet' bytes
Error Number : 1153
Request Date : Sunday, November 1st 2009 @ 10:24:32 PM
Error Date : Sunday, November 1st 2009 @ 10:24:34 PM
Script : http://myforum.com/eZ563/plugin.php?do=productimport
Referrer : http://myforum.com/eZ563/plugin.php?do=productadd


Any suggestions how might back out of this gracefully? Also, any idea as to why this may have happened?

Thank you
CM

[Gav-n-Tn]

Try removing it with your FTP software. I run it on my 3.8.4 and it works like a champ. No problems and HIGHLY recommended. Make sure that you have done everything step by step (easy). PM pedigree too. Really GREAT at communicating and helping you out.

[pedigree]

REPLACE INTO datastore
(title, data, unserialize)
VALUES
('options',

This isnt SQL that my Mod uses.

MySQL Error : Got a packet bigger than 'max_allowed_packet' bytes

This is a mySQL database error. mysql is given more data that it can handle. Try installing/uninstalling it. The mod doesnt really make that much in the way of database changes.

This is the database uninstall

DROP TABLE IF EXISTS`".TABLE_PREFIX."vbstopforumspam`
DROP TABLE IF EXISTS`".TABLE_PREFIX."vbstopforumspam_log`
DROP TABLE IF EXISTS`".TABLE_PREFIX."vbstopforumspam_remotecache `
ALTER TABLE " . TABLE_PREFIX . "usergroup DROP vbstopforumspamviewpermissions
ALTER TABLE " . TABLE_PREFIX . "usergroup DROP vbstopforumspamsubmitpermissions

And delete the vbstopforumspam hooks for register_addmember_process and register_addmember_complete

And why it happened, no idea im afraid. There looks like there is underlying mysql database issues on your server. If you really really need, and you have phpymadmin, PM me and Ill see if I can uninstall it for you, althought Im not convinced my mod killed your forum. It looks like vbulletin has stopped with an error of its own, when trying to uninstall something

in vb_databstore, there are two rows that my mod appears in. This IS a vbulletin table, not one of mine -products & plugins. I would reinstall/unnistalling/reinstalling/uninstalling as vbulletin has choked here.