Hard Light Productions Forums

Community Projects => The FreeSpace Wiki Project => Topic started by: Fury on July 17, 2006, 09:50:24 am

Title: Does FSWiki need better protection from vandalism?
Post by: Fury on July 17, 2006, 09:50:24 am

Someone mentioned elsewhere that the FSWiki does get vandalised, are bots and such how big a problem? There would be two ways to stop bots from registering:
1) To install a CAPTCHA extension to FSWiki. This would install image verification when new users register and we can ban existing known bot accounts.
2) To install SMF Authentication to FSWiki. With this you would use your HLPBB login instead and HLPBB uses CAPTCHA.

Title: Re: Does FSWiki need better protection from vandalism?
Post by: Wanderer on July 17, 2006, 10:14:45 am

Well it originally seemed to be larger issue than what it then turned out to be... There are currently several infinately banned bot accounts in FSwiki but after initial problems that seemed to be increasing the spamming, bot edits, and bot accounts have practically disappeared for some time atleast. So at the moment we do not seem to need extra security. Though i certainly wouldnt mind image verification.

Title: Re: Does FSWiki need better protection from vandalism?
Post by: Fury on July 17, 2006, 11:38:37 am

OK, let's try CAPTCHA. I have added one of the two CAPTCHA extensions, this one should bring up an image verification when you edit pages. SysOps are not harassed by default and I didn't change the default settings. Let's see if I can soon read complaints how annoying it is... ;)

Title: Re: Does FSWiki need better protection from vandalism?
Post by: Goober5000 on July 17, 2006, 11:17:32 pm

IMHO image verification should only be needed for registration, not for editing.  If you require verification for every edit, you'll quickly dissuade most of the user base from editing.

Title: Re: Does FSWiki need better protection from vandalism?
Post by: Mars on July 17, 2006, 11:22:21 pm

I can never read the ****ing letters, and I know it isn't just me, although maybe around here it is.


Don't suppose there can be an audio alternative?

Title: Re: Does FSWiki need better protection from vandalism?
Post by: Fury on July 18, 2006, 12:08:25 am

Quote from: Goober5000 on July 17, 2006, 11:17:32 pm

IMHO image verification should only be needed for registration, not for editing.  If you require verification for every edit, you'll quickly dissuade most of the user base from editing.

Unfortunately there is no CAPTCHA extension for MediaWiki that displays image verification only in registration. At least the official list of extensions do not have any 3rd party CAPTCHA extensions listed.

Quote from: Mars on July 17, 2006, 11:22:21 pm

I can never read the ****ing letters, and I know it isn't just me, although maybe around here it is.


Don't suppose there can be an audio alternative?

It's possible to implement but none of the CAPTCHA I have seen used in forums and the like supports it. The mediawiki extensions do not.


So I'd appreciate if you would give some feedback on annoyance factor based on live use. If it really is too much of an annoyance in normal wiki edits, it will be removed.

Title: Re: Does FSWiki need better protection from vandalism?
Post by: NGTM-1R on July 20, 2006, 02:02:50 pm

Is this still in? I editted several things last night, and it did not come up...

Title: Re: Does FSWiki need better protection from vandalism?
Post by: Fury on July 20, 2006, 02:13:52 pm

Thanks for pointing out, I doublechecked default config of the extension and it should work now. This CAPTCHA extension outputs mathematical questions such as "85 + 9 =" so this shouldn't be a problem for the visually impaired.

Title: Re: Does FSWiki need better protection from vandalism?
Post by: WMCoolmon on July 20, 2006, 06:42:50 pm

Although the intention may be good, the term 'fixing something that isn't broke' comes to mind...

Title: Re: Does FSWiki need better protection from vandalism?
Post by: Prophet on July 21, 2006, 10:18:23 am

Quote from: Fury on July 20, 2006, 02:13:52 pm

This CAPTCHA extension outputs mathematical questions such as "85 + 9 =" so this shouldn't be a problem for the visually impaired.

What about mathematically impaired? :eek2:
What am I going to do if I'm too lazy to reach for my calculator? I don't have 85 + 9 fingers! :shaking:


But even so. Good job Fury, for safeguarding the knowledge of the Ancients Volition.