Some SMF Captchas are getting cracked by software

[willjardain]

Hi,

I just run into a rather disturbing site: hxxp:captchasniper.com [nonactive]

They claim to crack some of the captchas in the simplemachines forums. I don't think the one below is not included (it's barely readable as it is!). What really pisses me off is that almost anyone can buy it.

Was anyone else aware of this?

[青山 素子]

It's been known for some time. It's why there is now the option for verification questions in SMF 2.0.

By the way, even hard stuff like reCAPTCHA can be bypassed. There are several human-backed services that offer an API for use in software.

Old: Inside India's CAPTCHA solving economy

[IchBin™]

Captcha is turning into a thing of the past. You're better off just customizing your registration page as 青山 素子 mentioned.

[Antechinus]

IMHO captcha, of any sort, is already obsolete. I have it disabled completely. YMMV.

[MtnDon]

I gave up on the captchas after upgrading from 1.1.15 to 2.9. The verification questions are easier for real people and stop the 'bots with ease.