Spam Bots & phpBB3?

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tffnguy
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Posts: 75
Joined: Thu Mar 02, 2006 5:13 am

Spam Bots & phpBB3?

Post by tffnguy »

I keep hearing that there aren't any spam bots for phpBB3, but I'm getting pounded by new registrations (Mainly from RU), but a number of other countries to. I even got one from what is supposed to be a server provider here in the same city I live in in the US. This has all just recently started and its getting worse all the time. It reminds me of the way phpBB2 was before I moved to phpBB3. Fortunately I've used activation by Admin only and it more of a neucense than anything else, but could cause me to keep some people out that shouldn't be.

Anyone else have a reason for all of this and having the same trouble?
Plano, Texas

elgrand
Registered User
Posts: 1
Joined: Wed Feb 04, 2009 5:55 pm

Re: Spam Bots & phpBB3?

Post by elgrand »

I have just started to get the same. I use capatcha no forground and x , y set to 12 i thourght spam was unable to get through that?

User avatar
James N
Posts: 143
Joined: Thu Jun 29, 2006 7:35 pm

Re: Spam Bots & phpBB3?

Post by James N »

If you look theres quite a few topics on the same subject. Have a look at the anti spam mods I have mirrored on my website

bolverk
I've been banned
Posts: 280
Joined: Mon Feb 02, 2009 5:39 pm

Re: Spam Bots & phpBB3?

Post by bolverk »

You're getting tons of spambot registrations with CAPTCHA enabled? I went from about a dozen per day on 2.x to ZERO when I upgraded to 3 with CAPTCHA & admin activate. If I view who's online then look at my access logs I can see the spambots viewing the ucp but they never get through the registration page. :D

tffnguy
Registered User
Posts: 75
Joined: Thu Mar 02, 2006 5:13 am

Re: Spam Bots & phpBB3?

Post by tffnguy »

Being how this is on the old Area51 board and there is no such thing as searching the phpbb.com site I just decided to ask here. Seems awful strange this just started recently! (Within about the last week) I've been running phpBB3 since RC1 and have not had a problem until lately. Banning IP addresses of the new accounts doesn't do a thing. They just keep changing to new ones.
Plano, Texas

bolverk
I've been banned
Posts: 280
Joined: Mon Feb 02, 2009 5:39 pm

Re: Spam Bots & phpBB3?

Post by bolverk »

And again I ask,
You're getting tons of spambot registrations with CAPTCHA enabled?
I have not seen any spambots break the CAPTCHA yet. :|

tffnguy
Registered User
Posts: 75
Joined: Thu Mar 02, 2006 5:13 am

Re: Spam Bots & phpBB3?

Post by tffnguy »

bolverk wrote:You're getting tons of spambot registrations with CAPTCHA enabled? I went from about a dozen per day on 2.x to ZERO when I upgraded to 3 with CAPTCHA & admin activate. If I view who's online then look at my access logs I can see the spambots viewing the ucp but they never get through the registration page. :D
I don't have CAPTCHA activated. Should I?
Plano, Texas

User avatar
James N
Posts: 143
Joined: Thu Jun 29, 2006 7:35 pm

Re: Spam Bots & phpBB3?

Post by James N »

The CAPCHA will stop (most current) bots from joining, as will the MODs I referred to (which are easier for humans to use as well)

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Pit$Bull
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Joined: Mon Feb 02, 2009 9:17 am

Re: Spam Bots & phpBB3?

Post by Pit$Bull »

tffnguy wrote: I don't have CAPTCHA activated. Should I?
Yes unless you like spam bots ;)
"A stitch in time, saves nine"

We're opening a can of whoopass on K9 CANCER.... One day at a time

pls
Registered User
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Feb 03, 2009 10:44 pm

Re: Spam Bots & phpBB3?

Post by pls »

We just installed phpBB 3.x a few days ago, and I enabled CAPTCHA. Immediately I noticed spam registrations with CAPTCHA on - perhaps by human operators?

I've read somewhere that some bots now have OCR capabilities for CAPTCHA fields - correct?

When we were still running 2.x, we had a series of rotating qualifying questions which stopped bots dead - I mean D-E-A-D! - when it was enabled. I've tried using the custom profile field feature to provide the same capability, and so far I may have slowed down but not stopped the spambots. I don't have access to the system code for our board - can someone point me to a link which would instruct one of our other administrators exactly how and where to input code so that we could create this feature and put an end to spamregs? (I can't seem to find anything in this current temporary forum - good luck with getting things back to normal.) Thanks!

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