Skt NURCaptcha

If your Blog allows new subscribers to register via the registration option at the Login page, this plugin may be useful to you. It includes a reCaptcha block to the register form, so you get rid of spambots. To use it you have to sign up for (free) public and private keys at reCAPTCHA API Signup Page. Version 3 added extra security by querying antispam databases for known ip and email of spammers, so you get rid of them even if they break the reCaptcha challenge by solving it as real persons.

1. Upload ‘skt-nurcaptcha’ folder to the ‘/wp-content/plugins/’ directory
2. Activate the plugin through the ‘Plugins’ menu in WordPress
3. Don’t forget to get the free Public and Private reCAPTCHA keys at reCAPTCHA API Signup Page
4. Go to the ‘Settings’ menu, locate Skt NURCaptcha Settings Page and drop your keys there.
5. That’s it.

The number of blocked attemptives is growing too slowly on the log. Does that mean that the plugin is not working?

If you was facing a greater number of spambot registrations than the figures you see now in the log counter, that means the plugin is doing its job perfectly. Almost all the spambots give up their attack when confronted by the reCaptcha challenge, so they come and go silently. These bots may not trigger the counter, but they will not get inside your site walls, either.

Does NURCaptcha blocks spambots only?

That is the main target of any captcha plugin: to catch bots and allow human beings to pass by. In order for it to somehow prevent you against badly mooded human intruders, their data (email & IP) are checked against trustable anti-spam databases (from plugin version 3.0.0 on).

How can I help people who for any reason were not able to fill the captcha challenge?

These people will leave their track on the log file. So check the log file regularly to see if there is someone you’d like to bring into your subscribers database. The log will give you
that person’s username, email and date/time when he tried to register and failed. Then it’s up to you to add that user manually or send him an email with directions for an effective registration.
The most common problem that keeps good people outside is not due to the reCaptcha, but illegal (non ASCII) characters in usernames. That is why we added a help box to the register form.

Why there are two versions for the reCAPTCHA?

On december, 2014, Google released a new version of reCAPTCHA. This new version is more friendly to the user and far more advanced in technology, if compared to the former version. If you are upgrading from an older version of Skt NURCaptcha, we strongly reccomend you to enable the new version, in the settings page of this plugin. If you have this version of the plugin in a fresh installation, the new version of thr reCAPTCHA is enabled by default. The only reason to keep both versions of reCAPTCHA is to allow old users to prepare for the change. We don’t know how long will it take till Google disable the old reCAPTCHA’s API, so an automatic (forced) transition to the new version will be provided in future releases of this plugin.

3.5.0

• Upgrade in antispam databases querying routines and a few other small fixes

3.4.90

• Small adjustments to PHP7 affecting BuddyPress installs

3.4.8

• Fixed: bug affecting user registration in some sites

3.4.7

• Fixed: small issue affecting access to language files

3.4.6

• Fixed: call to undefined property $errors under BP

3.4.5

• Fixed: call to undefined variable $lang under BP

3.4.4

• Fixed: mispelled call to undefined function at line 85

3.4.3

• Added: enable reCAPTCHA on selected front side pages
• Fixed: register form not working when BuddyPress enabled over WPMU

3.4.2

• Fixed: bug blocking login when keys were not saved yet

3.4.1

• Fixed: small glitch in the code generating PHP warnings

3.4.0

• Added: Transition to the new version of Google’s reCAPTCHA
• Added: login form captcha

3.1.8

• Fixed: removed duplication of div id in registration form when BuddyPress was active

3.1.7

• Fixed: challenge not displaying on https pages

3.1.6

• Added: French version – by ChezMat
• Fixed: field missing at uninstall.php, and small improvements in main code

3.1.5

• Added: action hook to allow extra check on username or email by other plugin
• Added: managing register form’s help messages via Admin Panel
• Fixed: small glitch on register form’s help display code

3.1.3

• Fixed: bug in MU that blocked new site registration

3.1.2

• Fixed: small bug in MU that blocked new user registration from admin panel

3.1.1

• Improved: a server-safe procedure to load external xml contents, needed to read anti-spam databases responses.

3.1.0

• Improved: log entries now stored in a database table – no more data will be lost when plugin upgrades.

3.0.2

• Fixed: anti-spam databases options didn’t save changes.

3.0.1

• Fixed: small glitch affecting BuddyPress users only – no security issues involved.

3.0.0

• Added: StopForumSpam and BotScout databases assessment for extra security.

2.4.7

• Added: user customization of reCAPTCHA strings.
• Improved: better UI to choose native language for reCAPTCHA.

2.4.6

• Added: customized text for submit button on register form.

2.4.5

• Fixed: excluded ubused help button from BuddyPress and WPMU versions.

2.4.4

• Added: help on register form;
• Fixed: logfile deletion drops log count to zero.

2.4.3

• Fixed: wrong data writing on logfile

2.4.2

• Added: improvements on javascript.
• Fixed: small glitch on textdomain call

2.4

• Added: support to BuddyPress.
• Fixed: double counting on WPMU

2.0

• Added support to Multisites.

1.3

• Included Log File to show data of blocked attemptives, and a few other minor code improvements.

1.13

• Register Form Page upgraded with javascript. No critical changes.

1.1

• Admin Page upgraded with javascript. No critical changes.

1.0

• First version.