Free Download miss-used by spam bots

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Free Download miss-used by spam bots

Posted by: H.M.

19th November 2024, 7:15 pm

H.M.

@ProjectBeauty

19 Nov 2024
7:15 pm

Since a few weeks, spambots misused the buttons I made to download Free PDF files.
I'm getting a lot of complaints, bounces, etc., for sending download emails that people do not want.
Is there a way to block this misuse??
I can't find the good option in the settings. 😣

Last modified: 21st November 2024, 10:24 am by H.M.

Forum Moderator
#18550

Peter Wilkinson
@wpenhanced

22 Nov 2024
12:30 pm

Hi! We don't have a captcha on the form right now (bit of an oversight on our part!) so I will create a task for us to add this. Do you have any preference on captcha methods? thanks Ben Hi! We don't have a captcha on the form right now (bit of an oversight on our part!) so I will create a task for us to add this. Do you have any preference on captcha methods? thanks Ben

Hi!

We don't have a captcha on the form right now (bit of an oversight on our part!) so I will create a task for us to add this.

Do you have any preference on captcha methods?

thanks

Ben
#18551

H.M.
@ProjectBeauty

22 Nov 2024
2:43 pm

I will check with our system manager and let you know asap. I will check with our system manager and let you know asap.

I will check with our system manager and let you know asap.
#18604

H.M.
@ProjectBeauty

28 Nov 2024
11:33 am

Hi Ben, This is the advice I got: Use passkeys: You can generate a unique passkey for each user session and embed it in a hidden field in the form. You can then validate the passkey on the server side before processing the form data. Hidden field detection: You can add a hidden field in theform that is not visible to human users but can be filled by bots. You can then check if the hidden field is empty or not on the server side before processing the form data. Send email (best solution): You can send a verification code to the user’s email address and ask them to enter it in the web form. You can then verify the code on the server side before processing the form data. Until one of these option has been established, maybe indeed implement Captcha first, preferably hCaptcha. Hi Ben, This is the advice I got: Use passkeys: You can generate a unique passkey for each user session and embed it in a hidden field in the form. You can then validate the passkey on the server side before processing the form data. Hidden field detection: You can add a hidden field in theform that is not visible to human users but can be filled by bots. You can then check if the hidden field is empty or not on the server side before processing the form data. Send email (best solution): You can send a verification code to the user’s email address and ask them to enter it in the web form. You can then verify the code on the server side before processing the form data. Until one of these option has been established, maybe indeed implement Captcha first, preferably hCaptcha.

Hi Ben,

This is the advice I got:

Use passkeys: You can generate a unique passkey for each user session and embed it in a hidden field in the form. You can then validate the passkey on the server side before processing the form data.

Hidden field detection: You can add a hidden field in theform that is not visible to human users but can be filled by bots. You can then check if the hidden field is empty or not on the server side before processing the form data.

Send email (best solution): You can send a verification code to the user’s email address and ask them to enter it in the web form. You can then verify the code on the server side before processing the form data.

Until one of these option has been established, maybe indeed implement Captcha first, preferably hCaptcha.
#18949

H.M.
@ProjectBeauty

5 Mar 2025
10:28 am

Hi Ben, It's been 4 month now since I reported this spam problem with the Free Downloads form. Is there any progress on the issue? Yesterday I had a new spam attack one another free download PDF we installed on our site and it's causing us to be blacklisted. We need to uninstall the complete Plug-in if this problem cannot be solved. :-(. Best wishes, Marius Hi Ben, It's been 4 month now since I reported this spam problem with the Free Downloads form. Is there any progress on the issue? Yesterday I had a new spam attack one another free download PDF we installed on our site and it's causing us to be blacklisted. We need to uninstall the complete Plug-in if this problem cannot be solved. :-(. Best wishes, Marius

Hi Ben,

It's been 4 month now since I reported this spam problem with the Free Downloads form.

Is there any progress on the issue?

Yesterday I had a new spam attack one another free download PDF we installed on our site and it's causing us to be blacklisted.

We need to uninstall the complete Plug-in if this problem cannot be solved. :-(.

Best wishes,

Marius
#19033

H.M.
@ProjectBeauty

1 Apr 2025
4:06 pm

Hi Ben, Any news?? We are still struggling with the spam that is generated by Free Download products. It would be great if there was a solution. Hi Ben, Any news?? We are still struggling with the spam that is generated by Free Download products. It would be great if there was a solution.

Hi Ben,

Any news??
We are still struggling with the spam that is generated by Free Download products.

It would be great if there was a solution.
Forum Moderator
#19077

Peter Wilkinson
@wpenhanced

21 Apr 2025
12:57 pm

Hi Marius So sorry about this - for some reason I didnt get the emails notifying me of the replies, I will investgate and fix this so it doesn't happen again. One thing I would recommend is to submit a support ticket instead of forum. Good news is I have implmented 2 forms of spam protection 1) Honeypot - insert a hidden field that tricks the spam bot. If they fill this in (human wont see it), we dont process the form 2) time-based - if the form is submitted within 2 seconds of the page loading, we dont process. Spam bots submit very quickly. I will let you know when released, it is in its final testing Thanks Pete Hi Marius So sorry about this - for some reason I didnt get the emails notifying me of the replies, I will investgate and fix this so it doesn't happen again. One thing I would recommend is to submit a support ticket instead of forum. Good news is I have implmented 2 forms of spam protection 1) Honeypot - insert a hidden field that tricks the spam bot. If they fill this in (human wont see it), we dont process the form 2) time-based - if the form is submitted within 2 seconds of the page loading, we dont process. Spam bots submit very quickly. I will let you know when released, it is in its final testing Thanks Pete

Hi Marius

So sorry about this - for some reason I didnt get the emails notifying me of the replies, I will investgate and fix this so it doesn't happen again.

One thing I would recommend is to submit a support ticket instead of forum.

Good news is I have implmented 2 forms of spam protection

1) Honeypot - insert a hidden field that tricks the spam bot. If they fill this in (human wont see it), we dont process the form
2) time-based - if the form is submitted within 2 seconds of the page loading, we dont process. Spam bots submit very quickly.

I will let you know when released, it is in its final testing

Thanks
Pete
Forum Moderator
#19092

Peter Wilkinson
@wpenhanced

24 Apr 2025
9:58 pm

Update released, can you check and confirm if it works now? Thanks Pete Update released, can you check and confirm if it works now? Thanks Pete

Update released, can you check and confirm if it works now?

Thanks
Pete
#19120

H.M.
@ProjectBeauty

1 May 2025
9:23 am

Pete, The update is not installing! Unauthorized message, even while the license key is entered ok. I tried to deactivate it (so I could see if it works after activating it again), but deactivating doesn't work. So I can't even check if the update is working. (As mentioned here (<a href="https://wordpress.org/support/topic/prevent-spam-generation/#post-18444747">Prevent SPAM generation | WordPress.org</a>): we have the Pro License and use Free Downloads on a multisite platform.) Pete, The update is not installing! Unauthorized message, even while the license key is entered ok. I tried to deactivate it (so I could see if it works after activating it again), but deactivating doesn't work. So I can't even check if the update is working. (As mentioned here (<a href="https://wordpress.org/support/topic/prevent-spam-generation/#post-18444747">Prevent SPAM generation | WordPress.org</a>): we have the Pro License and use Free Downloads on a multisite platform.)

Pete,

The update is not installing!
Unauthorized message, even while the license key is entered ok.
I tried to deactivate it (so I could see if it works after activating it again), but deactivating doesn't work.
So I can't even check if the update is working.

(As mentioned here (Prevent SPAM generation | WordPress.org):
we have the Pro License and use Free Downloads on a multisite platform.)

Last modified: 1st May 2025, 9:24 am by H.M.

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Free Download miss-used by spam bots

Posted by: H.M.

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