PHPBB forum being spammed by bots

Discussion in 'PHP' started by Toopac, Nov 8, 2006.

  1. #1
    What is the fix for this, i don't have time to read things around the net as i'm very busy right now, so could anyone that has had this problem & knows how to solve it let me know thanks...
     
    Toopac, Nov 8, 2006 IP
  2. AnaB

    AnaB Peon

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    #2
    There are tons of phpbb hacks for spam...None of them are really too effective..

    If your forum allows guest post, get rid of it, ban the IP address it's coming from...and then after that there isn't much you can do with phpbb...expect you could install a moderation hack so all messages have to be approved by you before appearing. (which isn't practical for big forums)

    Make sure you have email validation required for sign ups to curb spam
     
    AnaB, Nov 8, 2006 IP
  3. irunbackwards

    irunbackwards Peon

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    #3
    Enable email validation // CAPTCHA validation, also disable guest posting. Banning IP's might not help since they are probably using proxies, but try that to.
     
    irunbackwards, Nov 9, 2006 IP
  4. paliteo

    paliteo Peon

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    #4
    when you enable the email validation, you always have a lot of bots. So I think the solution is to put a random number to ckeck...
     
    paliteo, Nov 10, 2006 IP
  5. gigapromoters

    gigapromoters Peon

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    #5
    I manage a big phpbb forum, this problem solved when i removed permission from visitors to start new topic.

    You might not need CAPTCHA (though its an ultimate fix). Email Validation and Registration before 'New Topic creation' will work..
     
    gigapromoters, Nov 10, 2006 IP
  6. Toopac

    Toopac Peon

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    #6
    Hi, everyone thanks for the advice, i really can't enable image verification as i had problems with it once & i just don't like it, with email validation i had problems with people not getting validation emails, regarding guest posting i don't let guests post...

    I think i've solved it though as i have not been spammed since i changed all default language from my register page & all some aspects of the registration URL, it seems to have worked:)
     
    Toopac, Nov 10, 2006 IP
  7. edzachary

    edzachary Active Member

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    #7
    I don't care what kind of forum software you're using, spambots are a problem for everyone, not just phpbb.

    For phpbb, I've learned these specifics make spam manageable:

    1. Don't allow unregistered folks to post anywhere.

    2. Remove the website link from the registration form. What they want is the hard coded link. By removing that option in the registration, they go away. Members can still add it to their profile AFTER they successfully register. But a bot will simply give up when the field simply isn't there.

    3. Use Starfox's toolkit to manage memberships lists.

    4. Have a strong mod team empowered to delete posts at will.

    I manage several active PHPBB forums and using these things as well as keeping phpbb current makes spam merely an occasional annoyance.
     
    edzachary, Nov 10, 2006 IP
  8. falcondriver

    falcondriver Well-Known Member

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    #8
    just add some random field to the posting page, like "check this box if you want to post as a guest or register here", solved the problem for me.
     
    falcondriver, Nov 10, 2006 IP
  9. orchycore

    orchycore Peon

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    #9
    Make sure you keep phpBB up to date too. There's a few worms out there..
     
    orchycore, Nov 14, 2006 IP
  10. Madcow

    Madcow Peon

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    #10
    spam bots are a problem indeed but you can quit this posts by using an image validation system.

    if you search google for that system you can find serious systems that can handle your problem.

    Thx.
    Irmak
     
    Madcow, Nov 15, 2006 IP
  11. dave78si

    dave78si Peon

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    #11
    Edzachary: where can I find the registration form in phpBB?
    I think it's a great idea to remove the website link.
     
    dave78si, Nov 27, 2006 IP
  12. edzachary

    edzachary Active Member

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    #12
    edzachary, Nov 27, 2006 IP