Advanced Block MOD

[Extensions Robot]

Modification name: Advanced Block MOD
Author: Martin Truckenbrodt
Modification description: Advanced Block MOD improves the blocking features of phpBB.
Features:

• Replaces too much simple, not finished and unmaintained check_dnsbl phpBB3 core feature.
• Adds more IP-RBL DNS, HTTP and Domain-RBL DNS blacklists and UTC-12 trick to phpBB3.
• Supported HTTP blacklists: Stop Forum Spam, BotScout, Akismet, Project Honey Pot, Block Disposable Email Adresses.
• All features and blacklists can be managed from extra ACP pages. Only some not important settings for the HTTP blacklists are hardcoded.
• Blacklists can be weighted from 0 to 5. The weight values are added to reach a threshold value of 5 before spam will been blocked. So if configured spam needs to been found on several blacklists before it is blocked.
• Adds a new log for Block actions. Adds logging for email_check_mx.
• Adds a feature to re-check posts and users for spam to the Forum logs, WHO IS ONLINE, MCP -> post details, MCP -> report details and ACP -> Manage users -> Overview.
• Allows to report spammers to HTTP blacklists manually and automatically.
• Adds a feature to require an e-mail address for guest postings. The e-mail address will been displayed only for administrators at the re-check spam pages.
• Supports Contact Board Administration MOD http://www.phpbb.com/customise/db/mod/c ... istration/ to redirect false positives to the contact page.
• Supports Advanced Double Activation Pack MOD http://www.phpbb.com/customise/db/mod/a ... tion_pack/ to add the Re-check spam feature to the ACP Verify user page.
• Supports Handyman` MOD version check - https://www.phpbb.com/customise/db/mod/ ... sion_check

Technical background information:

• dnsbl_check is included in phpBB3 Olympus by default. But it is using the spamhaus.org DNSBL. This list creates a lot of false positives. There are other DNSBLs - e.g. dnsbl.tornevall.org - which are more recommended for the prevention of board spam registrations and spam posts.

Modification version: 1.1.4
Tested on phpBB version: 3.0.11

Download file: AdvancedBlockMOD_1.1.4.zip
File size: 233.87 KiB

Modification overview page: View

The phpBB Team is not responsible nor required to provide support for this modification. By installing this MOD, you acknowledge that the phpBB Support Team or phpBB Extension Customisations Team may not be able to provide support.

-->Modification support<--

[DavidIQ]

Modification validated/released

Notes:

[Martin Truckenbrodt]

Hello,
Features:

• The blacklists will be added and managed by ACP. (phpBB3 by default has two lists hard-coded in includes/session.php)
• There is a weight system with a threshold value of 5. So you can give blacklists a lower weight that results that some blacklists have to work together with other blacklists . E.g. I've set dnsbl-2.uceprotect.net and dnsbl-3.uceprotect.net to weight value 2 cause they are listing IP address ranges and not single IPs. So the IP address have to be listed in one more blacklist to get blocked by phpBB3.
• If available, lookup links can be provided to the log entries and the block message, too.
• On user registration two wrong timezones are added to the begin and the end of the timezone dropdown menue to block most of the spammers which in most cases are always using the first entry of the dropdown menue. (Without this MOD UTC -12.)
• All positive DNSBL and DNS MX block actions done by includes/session.php are added to a new log called Block log visible under ACP->Maintenance.
• Timezone check, all blacklists and the block logs can be disabled by ACP.

Screenshots:

• ACP -> Maintenance -> Block log: http://www.martin-truckenbrodt.com/pics ... ockLog.jpg
• ACP -> DNSBL settings -> list: http://www.martin-truckenbrodt.com/pics ... DNSBL1.jpg
• ACP -> DNSBL settings -> details: http://www.martin-truckenbrodt.com/pics ... DNSBL2.jpg

Demo URL: http://www.martin-truckenbrodt.com/cgi/phpBB3

Updates, How-Tos and more information: http://www.martin-truckenbrodt.com/cgi/ ... m.php?f=48

Developement Topic:
http://www.phpbb.com/community/viewtopi ... &t=1558075

Bye Martin

[robbaker]

Congrats on the validation and thanks for your work. I'm slower than your average joe when it comes to installing mods; ~5 minutes actually equals about a half-hour for me, ~15 minutes = ~?? for me Anyhow, seems well worth the time invested to get it installed if I understand correctly what this is. This is an anti-spam device, correct? Does it basically add certain addresses that will not be allowed to register and post on the boards? Sorry if they're stupid questions, just want to be sure of what I'm using here before I install. Thanks again!

[sixtvs]

Congrats on the validation and thanks for your work. I'm slower than your average joe when it comes to installing mods; ~5 minutes actually equals about a half-hour for me, ~15 minutes = ~?? for me Anyhow, seems well worth the time invested to get it installed if I understand correctly what this is. This is an anti-spam device, correct? Does it basically add certain addresses that will not be allowed to register and post on the boards? Sorry if they're stupid questions, just want to be sure of what I'm using here before I install. Thanks again!

yes, this is for anti-spam

[Martin Truckenbrodt]

Hello robbaker,
the MOD in realtime is asking DNS Blacklists (spammer lists) if the IP address is listed there. If the IP addreess ist listed on one or more lists then the registration will be blocked. With the weight system it's possible to configure it in the way that the IP address has to be listed on two or more lists before it will be blocked. Most of the used DNS Blacklists are made for email anti-spam-filtering. So it's a little bit tricky to use them in this MOD. But it's working well. I'm using the MOD together with my ADAP (1.4.0) . So I don't need anti-spam questions or CAPTCHA enbaled on my boards. I have two boards where spammers are very active. But it's not easy for them to register on these boards. And the regsitration process is much easier for new users at least if they are blind (and not able to get it with CAPTCHA).

Bye Martin

[Ashley.S.]

congrats on the validation, I might try the mod again if the spam kicks up at my board again

[WastedJoker]

MOD asked for "Recent recommended blacklists list and more information" and when I go to DNSBL under Admin -> General, it shows no categories.

Prior installations of this MOD went without a hitch and showed categories.

What am I missing?

Edit: Fixed it by adding the code on your website:

Code: Select all

INSERT INTO `phpbb_dnsbl` (`dnsbl_id`, `left_id`, `right_id`, `dnsbl_fqdn`, `dnsbl_lookup`, `dnsbl_register`, `dnsbl_weight`) VALUES
(1, 1, 2, 0x73626c2d78626c2e7370616d686175732e6f7267, 0x687474703a2f2f7777772e7370616d686175732e6f72672f71756572792f626c3f69703d, 0, 5),
(2, 3, 4, 0x626c2e7370616d636f702e6e6574, 0x687474703a2f2f7370616d636f702e6e65742f626c2e7368746d6c3f, 1, 5),
(3, 13, 14, 0x646e73626c2d312e75636570726f746563742e6e6574, 0x687474703a2f2f7777772e75636570726f746563742e6e65742f656e2f72626c636865636b2e7068703f6970723d, 1, 5),
(4, 15, 16, 0x646e73626c2d322e75636570726f746563742e6e6574, 0x687474703a2f2f7777772e75636570726f746563742e6e65742f656e2f72626c636865636b2e7068703f6970723d, 1, 2),
(5, 17, 18, 0x646e73626c2d332e75636570726f746563742e6e6574, 0x687474703a2f2f7777772e75636570726f746563742e6e65742f656e2f72626c636865636b2e7068703f6970723d, 1, 2),
(6, 21, 22, 0x6970732e6261636b7363617474657265722e6f7267, 0x687474703a2f2f7777772e6261636b7363617474657265722e6f72672f3f69703d, 1, 1),
(7, 9, 10, 0x63626c2e616275736561742e6f7267, 0x687474703a2f2f63626c2e616275736561742e6f72672f6c6f6f6b75702e6367693f2e7375626d69743d4c6f6f6b757026616d703b69703d, 1, 5),
(8, 19, 20, 0x646e73626c2e736f7262732e6e6574, '', 1, 2),
(11, 7, 8, 0x626c61636b686f6c65732e666976652d74656e2d73672e636f6d, 0x687474703a2f2f7777772e666976652d74656e2d73672e636f6d2f626c61636b686f6c652e7068703f5365617263683d53656172636826616d703b69703d, 1, 5),
(12, 5, 6, 0x6e6f2d6d6f72652d66756e6e2e6d6f656e737465642e646b, 0x687474703a2f2f6d6f656e737465642e646b2f7370616d2f6e6f2d6d6f72652d66756e6e2f3f5375626d69743d5375626d697426616d703b616464723d, 1, 5),
(13, 11, 12, 0x626c2e7370616d63616e6e6962616c2e6f7267, '', 1, 5)

[Martin Truckenbrodt]

Hello WastedJoker,
have you been looking to the DIY instructions? There are two UMIL scripts to use.

More information: http://www.phpbb.com/mods/installing/

Thank you very much for your feedback.

Bye Martin

[WastedJoker]

Hello WastedJoker,
have you been looking to the DIY instructions? There are two UMIL scripts to use.

More information: http://www.phpbb.com/mods/installing/

Thank you very much for your feedback.

Bye Martin

Yeah, I ran the scripts but I ran the wrong one first and it returned an error. Did it the correct way around.

Not sure what happened but I got it sorted

[Martin Truckenbrodt]

Hello,
I've published an updated list: http://www.martin-truckenbrodt.com/cgi/ ... p=589#p589

Although I've published a new HOW-TO: http://www.martin-truckenbrodt.com/cgi/ ... f=48&t=216

Bye Martin

[Desdenova]

So what is the average benchmark time to grab the entries from the DNS blacklists, for this MOD?

[Martin Truckenbrodt]

Hello Desdenova,
it's a simple DNS query. So it's nearly realtime.

Bye Martin

[Desdenova]

But, how long does it usually take? Often with a DNS blacklist, it takes some time for them to respond.

Do you have the average response time for that blacklist?

[Martin Truckenbrodt]

Hello Desdenova,
as I know DNS queries are one of the shortest and quickiest queries in the internet. I don't know how much time the need.

Why are you asking this?

BTW: (If enabled at the ACP) phpBB3 is using two DNS blacklists hard-coded by default. My MODs adds some more DNSBLs and adds a weight system to let several blacklists work together. Although my MOD adds the block log. With the block log now you can see which IP-address or hostname (FQDN) has been blocked.

Bye Martin