BotScout "BotBuster" for SMF 1.x and 2.0 Beta 4

[SD-X]

Yes, as far as I know there should be no conflict with either of them (or any other mod).

Is this mod compatible with StopSpammer and httpBL?

Alright, awesome! I might give this a try in addition to those two. Is this SMF 2.0 Gold compatible? Didn't see any information on it either way.

[riou]

It installed fine on 2.0 for me

[riou]

Hi riou,

and thank you a lot for your help. I did what you told me, the effect was that it stopped working. The forum refused any new registrations saying "Registration de-activated" I switched through all modes, still doesnt work. My Botscout.php looks like this now (instead of XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX i did put the 15-digit API code I received by mail:

Code Select Expand

<?php

if (!defined('SMF'))
die('Hacking attempt...');

function checkBotScout($username, $email)
{
global $sourcedir, $txt, $webmaster_email;

// Your optional API key (if you don't have one 
// you can get one here: http://botscout.com/)
$APIKEY = 'XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX';


all worked fine before I did include the API code. Any suggestions? Thanks a lot in advance,

Serge

Dunno, it is working fine on mine. Make sure that you aren't accidentally taking out either of the ' ' parts as that will mess up the code, so if your API Code is (some random stuff ) a1B2c3D4e5F6g7H it goes in like this:

Code Select Expand


// Your optional API key (if you don't have one
// you can get one here: http://botscout.com/)
$APIKEY = 'a1B2c3D4e5F6g7H';


[AD/vh]

While I appreciate the effort that's gone into this mod, it totally hosed my forum until I could figure out what was going on.  The so-called "optional" API key is NOT optional, apparently; whatever limit BotScout applies to queries applies to the ENTIRE WEBSERVER, so if you're on shared hosting, you're in big trouble.  And I've got, no lie, at LEAST forty different mods on the board - and the error message being passed to the log did not in any way reference the originating mod or file or the BotScout site... so, yeah.  This past hour or so has not been fun. 

There needs to be a place in the admin area where the user MUST enter an API key to make the thing work (which is not helpful atm as the API signup at BotScout is down) or, at the very least, send a string to the error logs to indicate where the error's coming from....

[MrMike]

The so-called "optional" API key is NOT optional, apparently;

This is absolutely NOT true. The API Key is optional, period.

whatever limit BotScout applies to queries applies to the ENTIRE WEBSERVER,

This is also NOT true. The BotScout code applies ONLY to a particular for that you use it on. If you use it on the forum it will be effective ONLY on the forum. It does not affect anything else.

And I've got, no lie, at LEAST forty different mods on the board - and the error message being passed to the log did not in any way reference the originating mod or file or the BotScout site...

Right, so maybe the error isn't due to Botscout, eh?

The so-called ...which is not helpful atm as the API signup at BotScout is down

We had disabled new registrations while we moved to the BotScout site to a fully-dedicated server. Registration is available again.

[SD-X]

Just a heads up, the latest download version is 1.30, but in SMF 2 it reports itself as 1.1 still, and SMF 2 believes it's up-to-date, which is correct despite the wrong version number being displayed.

[frytec]

can u help me tweak this mod to prevent bots from posting replies in public boards?

public boards = boards wich guests can reply entering a username and an email.

[SD-X]

You could always turn off public posting.

[frytec]

i dont wanna turn off public posting...

and i NEED to allow public posting.

my forum works like a portal more than a forum itself.

isnt possible to make that botscout works with quick reply ?

[SD-X]

BotScout prevents bots from getting on the forum in the first place. If they are still getting through, consider adding more anti-spambot mods to block them from accessing the forum to begin with. I would recommend httpBL for this.

[SD-X]

Sorry for the bump. This works fine in SMF 2.0 Gold, 2.0.1, and 2.0.2 without any issues at all.

[shubha]

Where i have to add the API key. I am already having the API key.How to check it works or not.

[MrMike]

Where i have to add the API key. I am already having the API key.How to check it works or not.

I would suggest you read the instructions.

[winterband]

BEWARE of this one!  It was preventing users from registering because of the scum site it was connecting to rejecting connections without registration.  I have no ideal how many users were prevented from registering because of this

[rconiv]

Am installing SMF 2.0.2 and botscout 1.4, and have put the coding in were it should be in the register.php to point to the botscout.php, in the source/botscout.php location.  It has been blocking the bots nicely, but also people from registering.  Is there an issue with 1.4, and SMF 2.0.2?  Using the default SMF registration.php with no other mods but this one, and people can fill in the user name, email, password, and the verification box, hit register, and it comes up with an HTTP 500 error, and the error log come up saying it doesn't like something in xuser and xmail.

If I manually add them through the admin/members/add member, it works fine.

If needed, can get you screen captures of the error log.

"Edit" Well I brought up the default register.php which fixed the HTTP 500 issue, and then just put in the basic command like without all the ///////////// stuff, and the registration worked, so will let it run overnight and see what is in the error log in the morning, as well as if there is any spambots that got in.

[rconiv]

It ran for about 24 hours, and then the HTTP 500 error came back, so not sure if this is due to so many bot hits that it is exceeding what the API allows or something in the registry.php file is corrupting.

[MrMike]

If this is the case (and I doubt it), why wouldn't you contact us about this?

We have thousands and thousands of people using the site daily (many of them running this mod) and we've heard nothing about registrations being rejected for no reason.

It's possible that your server is connecting us in a way that prevented it from working, but if that's so, this is the first we've heard about it. (??)

BEWARE of this one!  It was preventing users from registering because of the scum site it was connecting to rejecting connections without registration.  I have no ideal how many users were prevented from registering because of this

[MrMike]

Is there an issue with 1.4, and SMF 2.0.2?  Using the default SMF registration.php with no other mods but this one, and people can fill in the user name, email, password, and the verification box, hit register, and it comes up with an HTTP 500 error, and the error log come up saying it doesn't like something in xuser and xmail.

It's impossible for me to be 100% certain, but I can't think of anything in the BotScout code that would trigger a 500 error. The code simply makes an API call (via HTTP) to our server and returns the results.

Please let me know if you're still having any trouble at all.

[rconiv]

Is there an issue with 1.4, and SMF 2.0.2?  Using the default SMF registration.php with no other mods but this one, and people can fill in the user name, email, password, and the verification box, hit register, and it comes up with an HTTP 500 error, and the error log come up saying it doesn't like something in xuser and xmail.

It's impossible for me to be 100% certain, but I can't think of anything in the BotScout code that would trigger a 500 error. The code simply makes an API call (via HTTP) to our server and returns the results.

Please let me know if you're still having any trouble at all.

Actually it turned out to be my fault, was trying to figure out why the forum keeps saying there is an issue with the data command, so thought it was missing a } so put one in.  After I removed it, the 500 error went away, but the data error came back.  Hadn't changed anything in the botscout.php, except to add my email to be notified when it stops a bot, and the API info.

http://****.net/index.php?action=register2
Undefined variable: data
File: /var/www/html/Sources/BotScout.php
Line: 248

[MrMike]

I think all you may need to do is declare this var at the top of the botscout.php file, something like:

// declare $data var
$data = '';

Actually it turned out to be my fault, was trying to figure out why the forum keeps saying there is an issue with the data command, so thought it was missing a } so put one in.  After I removed it, the 500 error went away, but the data error came back.  Hadn't changed anything in the botscout.php, except to add my email to be notified when it stops a bot, and the API info.

http://****.net/index.php?action=register2
Undefined variable: data
File: /var/www/html/Sources/BotScout.php
Line: 248