IMO, a good reason to upgrade is at least for the bug fixes. And it doesn't cost any money to update Synchronet, so I don't think there's
any downside to upgrading. You'd also be missing out on new features
if you don't upgrade, but I suppose whether or not you'll use any of
those new features is what makes it a "compelling" upgrade or not.

I'm going to wait until the new version is released...let everyone else
work out the bugs. Back when I was running GT Power for dial-up, I was
one of the beta testers for the last version released by original author
Paul Meiners.

I did find the original version of the CAPTCHA utility that was done
by Lord Blackfair, which had just one set of 6 numbers, along with the batchfile that I had previously created (I thought all those files were
long gone as well).

Bascially, after decompiling it, I made 144 copies of the file, and
edited in a different number. Then, I named them different batchfiles,
in 5 minute increments, from HOUR0000.BAT to HOUR2355.BAT, around the
clock. Then, I used the Windows 10 Task Scheduler to set up the batchfiles
to run at the appointed times. It copies a new ACEMTRX.BIN file (with the CAPTCHA code) into the \exec directory every 5 minutes. So, while it does
not change with each connect, at least it changes every 5 minutes. And, besides, the bots are unlikely to see the CAPTCHA anyway.

I also lowered the variable for the inactivity timeout from 30 seconds
to 10 seconds. Before I found the original CAPTCHA deal (as noted above),
the bots were slamming the telnet port, tying up all 4 of them. With the "invalid user names" (root, admin, supervisor, sysop, default, etc.), the connects with these are dropped, and in many cases, a temporary ban is
put on them. I then add that IP to the ip.can file.

Daryl

... I found a piano stool -- I thought they were potty trained!!
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With a Windows install of Synchronet you may want to try Peerblock small
little foot print program that has a option to make a list bad ip's in
any and all countries. I did a search and found one place that you can
make a list from of bot type peeps and it has worked very well.

I already have PeerBlock set up and running. However, for some of the ham radio traffic nets that I do, I had to disable it, as I couldn't connect to certain "reflectors" with the D-Star mode.

At least for the nets that I run, I can leave Peerblock enabled. The fee
to renew the data files each year is only around $10...you can't get a good meal for that anymore!!

As I was telling Nightfox, I found the ORIGINAL CAPTCHA utility that was
done by Lord Blackfair. It first only had one set number with it (he later released another version, which generates a different number with each new connect)...but I was able decompile it with the UNBAJA utility (if I recall correctly).

Then what I did (this was before he released the version that generates a different number with each connect), was to make 144 copies of the file.
Next, I used a Random Number program for Windows to generate such...and I edited that into the file, which basically was a combination of ACEMTRX.SRC
and the different CAPTCHA.SRC files...the latter which were renamed to HOUR####.SRC, where #### was a 24 hour time digit from 0000 (12:00am) to
2355 (11:55pm), in 5 minute intervals around the clock. Then, I compiled
each of these with the Baja module.

Next, I created 144 simple batchfiles, with the same name as the HOUR#### files noted earlier. All that did would copy the HOUR####.BIN file to the ACEMTRX.BIN file within the \exec directory. And to finish it off, I used
the Task Scheduler under Windows 10 to set up the times to run the needed batchfiles.

Admittedly, it was tedious to do it this way...but at least I have a
CAPTCHA deal at logon, after the ANSWER.MSG screen, and before ACEMTRX
kicks in. The bots aren't likely to see the numeric string, anyway...and
I also lowered the "inactivity timeout" for "dumb terminals" from 30 to
10 seconds. Before then, the bots were slamming the ports, and tying up
all the nodes.

Daryl

... I don't drink and drive, but I swig at stoplights.
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Re: CAPTCHA with Synchronet
By: Daryl Stout to All on Wed Feb 22 2023 14:57:11

I had a bit of a crash last night, and unfortunately, I wasn't able
to salvage data in the exec directory, but I did have backups of the
rest (ctrl, msgs, files, xtrn, textfiles, etc.).

I find it kind of a best practice, to copy the original from sbbs/exec/ to sbbs/mods/ and edit my customized version in mods, never touching sbbs/exec/ Also reducing the risk of destroying a customization, and leaving the original(s) for reference.

I was using the CAPTCHA utility from Lord Blackfair at logon, but

while I had the captcha.src file...

Not familiar with that one... do you have a download location for the original file/zip/package?


--
Michael J. Ryan
+o roughneckbbs.com
tracker1@roughneckbbs.com

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Re: CAPTCHA with Synchronet
By: Daryl Stout to Havok on Tue Feb 28 2023 12:50 am

With a Windows install of Synchronet you may want to try Peerblock small
little foot print program that has a option to make a list bad ip's in
any and all countries. I did a search and found one place that you can
make a list from of bot type peeps and it has worked very well.

I already have PeerBlock set up and running. However, for some of the ham radio traffic nets that I do, I had to disable it, as I couldn't connect to certain "reflectors" with the D-Star mode.

At least for the nets that I run, I can leave Peerblock enabled. The fee to renew the data files each year is only around $10...you can't get a good meal for that anymore!!

i didn't even know they did that.
i just use a custom blocklist.
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Re: CAPTCHA with Synchronet
By: Daryl Stout to Havok on Tue Feb 28 2023 12:50 am

I already have PeerBlock set up and running. However, for some of the ham radio traffic nets that I do, I had to disable it, as I couldn't connect to certain "reflectors" with the D-Star mode.

The nice think about peerblock is you can make a ban list of country IP's
and make a white list of a country ip that you want to pass through.
I always like it when I was running VA on xp or Windows 7.
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Re: CAPTCHA with Synchronet
By: Daryl Stout to Havok on Tue Feb 28 2023 12:50 am

As I was telling Nightfox, I found the ORIGINAL CAPTCHA utility that was done by Lord Blackfair. It first only had one set number with it (he later
released another version, which generates a different number with each new connect)...but I was able decompile it with the UNBAJA utility (if I recall
correctly).

Wow sounds like a lot of work, why I like pfSense after about the 3 third
probe it blocks the IP.

But it does sound kewl...


-*|04Hav|12o|04k|07*-

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