This evening I've tweaked the forum software quite a bit under the hood (mostly security additions).  As usual, it's possible that something broke in the process.  If you notice anything out of the ordinary (error messages, the forum software calling you a spammer or a terrorist, or general shinannegans), please let me know.

The only real noticeable feature change is on the top of your screen, "Login Security".  Here, you can see the last ten IP address logins you've made -- an easy way to tell if someone other than you has been accessing your account.  Also, there's an (optional) "IP Range Scanner" which will send you a short message if another IP address logs on to your account.

The incentive for me to add additional security was due to the recent flood of spambots that have been successfully registering on the forum.  While actually not a large number (two to three per week), it's still annoying.  On a positive note, the number of spambots that have failed to register is much greater; about 20 to 30 per week.  It seems that phpBB forums in general have been under seige recently.

Foul

Hey Foul,
  I know that you want to keep this as an unmoderated forum and I am all for that , but is there any chance that you might consider giving a least one or two other folks the ability to elimnate the spam threads when you are not around?  I know that you travel for your job and what not and allowing one or two others the ability to at least eliminate these annoying spam threads in your absense might be benficial.  Just a thought.

i would be more than happy to help moderate - most folk here know i am cool like that and i am on here often enough - could help tidy things up etc...

Al

Agreed, if this forum were moderated at all, it would be Game Over.

Well, how about a compromise -- if spambots continue to be a bother, I'll strongly consider implementing some human intervention.

Foul

A new security upgrade that the spammers (and other nefarious types) are going to REALLY dislike.  A word to the wise -- attempting to reach the forums while masking your IP address (for instance, using a CGI proxy) will not only fail (hopefully), but will also get your account banned.  This should not affect anyone using a normal proxy, such as a corporate LAN.

On a lighter note, there's a new feature that everyone should like, on the Private Messaging screen... a dropdown list for usernames.

Foul

I think I may be affected by this update although I'm not sure why.  When I try to access the forums using Firefox, I get a mostly empty page (screenshot) for regardless of which page I try to access (even the logout page).  If I use IE, I can access the forums just fine.  Both browsers are configured to use the same proxy (Squid Proxy, running on my home network).  

If I change the settings on either browser to bypass the proxy, I can't load the forums at all.  It just hangs on the connection.  My home network does masquerade ip addresses, but I doubt that's the problem since its done the same way a corporate lan would be.

After looking through the logs some more, I've discovered about a half-dozen regular users who have been inadvertently blocked by the new security module.  Ergo, I've disabled most of the module's functionality, until such time as the module author updates it.

Foul

yes it seems i got banned too, but after a 15 min rant at deimos, he kindly contacted scott and it seems the problem is sorted

thankyou!

Al