Insert security access codes

[kittyprrrs]

First and foremost, hello! I am so glad there is a place like this, where we can all express our frustrations on how to make our sites work!

Well, here is my question for the day....I've been seeing a lot of the "security access codes" inserted into web pages. I know myspace has it and now a few more sites have it (including as I recall, USA Network). I know this prevents bots and spammers so, I am seriously looking into it for a client. I would like to create a contact form for his "contact this person" but he says "nope...bot attacks". Now, I know that this security code will help quite drastically but I was wondering if anyone out there has a code for it?

I saw this site MIGHT be what I am looking for *as I use captcha on another site I designed which is php based* and was wondering if any of you have any other ideas?

The site I am working on now is straight HTML based site.

http://pear.php.net/package/HTML_QuickForm_CAPTCHA/

Please advise....

[djr33]

You're definitely going to need some PHP (or other server side language) parsing the CAPTCHA. Or you could use javascript, but that would be easy to bypass for bots anyway.

There's no real way around this.

[Twey]

CAPTCHAs of that kind are quite tricky, since in order to make them accessible, you also have to generate an equivalent sound file. On top of that, the majority of CAPTCHAs used today actually aren't that effective, and sound CAPTCHAs are even harder to do right. A better option is a series of common-sense questions to which any human would know the answer, or which requires knowledge of something that can't be defined in human terms: e.g. "choose the fruit" with options of, perhaps, "banana" and "elk." It has the disadvantage of having a much higher chance pass rate, however.

An idea I've been thinking of recently based on the "image password" ideas that have been popping up recently is that the user is presented with a paragraph of text telling a story and a selection of pictures, with alternatives that represent the sounds of those things. The user has to select the pictures in the order they appear in the text. For example, the text could say "the dog caught the ball" and there would be, amongst other things, pictures of a dog and a ball, with alternative sounds of a bark and a bouncing sound. The user would then have to choose the order in which each appeared -- probably a <select> would be best for that.

I'll have a go at implementing it in PHP a bit later.

[jscheuer1]

I like the idea about a dog and a ball. Making an unmistakable barking sound shouldn't be too hard, but an unmistakable 'bouncing sound'? I'm not too sure about that one.

[Twey]

Perhaps a more easily-recognisable sound then.

[kittyprrrs]

Wow, thanks everyone.

I also found this site but, am questioning the cons....if any:

https://admin.recaptcha.net/

now, I did sign up for an account but it says to have it installed in my "main" site root path and all other "subs" will "most likely" need this added on....

I am so "coded out" (up from 5 am to 4am this morning...) that I can't read *or type* straight...can someone explain this in the most layman terms...I would so totally appreciate it....since i am so confused now...

djr33-

so i could just grab the usual php captcha and embed it into the contact form??? even though the site itself is not php based? I just assumed that php should be used for php codes....am I wrong at assuming this. I am still rather new to php so, be gentle....html is more my "comfort zone"....and let's NOT get into flash *ick*....another day for that...many other days!

[djr33]

You must have a PHP enabled page (meaning it should end in .php, or have an exception setup with .htaccess, which I wouldn't recommend) for PHP to work.
But why not enable this and the receiving page for PHP?

[kittyprrrs]

I believe I found what I am looking for. THIS is what I was thinking...exactly:

http://www.snaphost.com/captcha/demo.htm

I guess I wasn't making myself clear....however, this is what I was looking for.

Again, my only question is will this reduce the amount of "junk" they will most likely get if they didn't have the security code encoded into the "contact form"?

Thanks djr33...however, I think the way you were explaining this was a bit more advanced than I was expecting and the client needed the site like, last year...so I am on time issue and really...am quite a newb at php....really new....not that I am unable to learn quickly....just I don't feel comfortable charging for my own "tinkering" time....but for future reference, care to explain how to do the method you are posting above?

[djr33]

All I'm saying is that for this to work securely, a server side language (PHP in this case, it seems), must verify the CAPTCHA before the page is output to the user, or it would not be very secure. As such, you need to make the page be .php, not .htm, since .htm/.html files aren't parsed by PHP.

If you are ok with using a free form mailer, the snap host script looks good to me. It seems to include a decent CAPTCHA, so that's good.