how well does Xenforo do at keeping bots from joining the forum?

[macuser]

bots have always been an issue with my SMF forum. They get past the questions I set up, and the captcha stuff. Does Xenforo keep them from joining or no?

 

[Ozzy47]

This would make for a good resource if allowed to be downloaded in a text file (due to censorship on this forum I believe) as I know some but not all, and it's an ever-growing list too.

No it wouldn’t. If everyone was using the same thing to prevent spam, the xRummer software could be manipulated to not use any of those keywords, rendering the list useless. Better off building your own unique list.

 

[cdub]

What method do you use; Q&A, CAPTCHA, nothing?

reCAPTCHA v2

This would make for a good resource if allowed to be downloaded in a text file (due to censorship on this forum I believe) as I know some but not all, and it's an ever-growing list too.

I'd rather not share but it was very easy to build. If a spammer got through I just copy and paste unique words that they use into the spam phrases. It's unique to sites I'm sure.

Do you delete a spammer? Keep their account? Ban IP?..

Standard XF spam cleaner.

 

[frm]

No it wouldn’t. If everyone was using the same thing to prevent spam, the xRummer software could be manipulated to not use any of those keywords, rendering the list useless. Better off building your own unique list.

True in a sense that they'd have to possibly put hyphens between l-e-t-t-e-r-s, but, it would block the vast majority of keyword targetted spam attacks (unless G sees hyphens or other characters as nothing and combines them as 1 word again). If they did that, there literally would be no reason to attack a forum with those words/phrases as it'd immediately get reported and G would not send any outside traffic that way.