Why the CAPTCHA Approach Is Doomed

TechnoBabble Pro writes "The CAPTCHA idea sounds simple: prevent bots from massively abusing a website (e.g. to get many email or social network accounts, and send spam), by giving users a test which is easy for humans, but impossible for computers. Is there really such a thing as a well-balanced CAPTCHA, easy on human eyes, but tough on bots? TechnoBabble Pro has a piece on 3 CAPTCHA gotchas which show why any puzzle which isn't a nuisance to legitimate users, won't be much hindrance to abusers, either. It looks like we need a different approach to stop the bots."

question and answer seem to work well

[get quad]

...until AI gets smart enough to answer questions intuitively.

Just accept the truth ...

[jbeaupre]

... you are a computer. Life, er, up-time will be easier.

Re:So what next?

[Hojima]

So if the CAPTCHA is doomed, what is the next approach?

Torture

Re:question and answer seem to work well

[RichardJenkins]

At that point spam will be the least of you worries, fleshbag.

Re:question and answer seem to work well

[HTH NE1]

"Are you alive?"

"Yes."

"Prove it."

Re:So what next?

[Mordok-DestroyerOfWo]

Maybe a different type of system? Show a series of animals and ask which one is a pet. Show a series of letters and ask which one is the vowel. A series of types of food and ask which one would go best with Natalie Portman. Show an action shot and a series of similar actions, ask which one would occur in Soviet Russia.

Stopping bots is easy...

[MrBippers]

Solve the following math problem to continue:
1/0 = ?

Re:So what next?

[Cynonamous Anoward]

Interesting idea, actually...Humans will respond to torture, bots will not....

the trick is how to measure human suffering?

Re:It's a Turing test

[Chad Birch]

This is my favorite captcha, some are ridiculous: http://random.irb.hr/signup.php [random.irb.hr]

Refresh the page a bit, fun to see what you can get.

Re:So what next?

[crazyvas]

So if the CAPTCHA is doomed, what is the next approach?

Torture

You mean, TORTCHA?

Re:So what next?

[Arancaytar]

Place Goatse on the front page. After everyone's eyes are bleeding, the only remaining visitors will then be robots. Behold, you have isolated the set of spambots from the set of humans.

Inverting the set to get the humans instead of the bots is left as a trivial exercise to the reader.

Re:question and answer seem to work well

[sexconker]

I don't know.
Humans fail the "What are your username and password?" question all the time.

Why the CAPTCHA Approach Is Doomed ?!?!

[Phizzle]

Because my Lynx browser doesn't support it!

My method is fool proof!

[hofmny]

I don't understand why we still use CAPTCHA's or Kitty tests. I have been using a method on my service providing site for the past 5 years that fools any bot.

I simply state "Are you Human" yes/no.

You wouldn't believe the amount of success I have since I took down the earlier CAPTCHA technology I was using.
Almost immediately, the amount of customer emails I get daily increased 453%! Many of these customers were offering me things, such as money or drugs! I was also able to buy Viagra at near wholesale prices (and then turn them for a profit on my business trips to Florida).
My traffic has increased too! The amount of people using my free service almost took down my servers. I had to get 3 more! Of course, I am now operating at a loss, but I sleep well knowing that I made a difference in the world by letting so many people access my great service.

If anyone wants the "are you human" technology from me, I will give it away for free! Just email me. Thanks!

Re:question and answer seem to work well

[Anonymous Coward]

(Bots: No lying)

Re:So what next?

[silent_artichoke]

Pardon me, but I do believe that Natalie Portman can be both a pet AND a tasty treat.

soo...

[blondie.xo]

Is this like those things that pop up and ask you to type in what it says? Like letters and numbers? example: htyeopa9876hg.. but it's all fuzzy and you have to try and figure it out?

Re:So what next?

[ch33zm0ng3r]

Well you know what they say: "You can't have your Natalie Portman and eat her too..." ...or something like that.

Re:So what next?

[Anonymous Coward]

pay-to-play-posting + bot-net = spam unabated + billions in charges to hapless consumers.

No. You are wrong. It will make people start charging spammers to use their computer in a bot net. Trickle down dude!

Re:8==C=A=P=T=C=H=A==D

[Dishevel]

Then I have no idea how you would explain This. [nascar.com]

Re:So what next?

[Anonymous Coward]

Place Goatse on the front page.....Behold, you have isolated the set of spambots from the set of humans.

I think you meant to say "isolated spambots and 4channers from the set of humans".

Re:So what next?

[smellsofbikes]

Oh yes you can, depending on your definition of 'to eat'...

Which reminds me of the old joke. guy's out driving in the country and he sees a pig with a wooden leg. He thinks that's weird so he goes up to the house and says "hey, I was wondering about the pig with the pegleg" and the farmer says "oh, man, let me TELL you about that pig -- he goes and gets the mail for me, he guards the house, he bites burglars, I'm even training him to drive my lawnmower!"
"Okay, that's cool," says the guy, "but what about the artificial leg?"
"Well, DUH," says the farmer, "a pig that smart you don't eat all at once!"

Re:So what next?

[Anonymous Coward]

That would also filter me, 4chan, Something Awful etc. out. Not acceptable (except for the quality of the website, maybe).

Re:So what next?

[arth1]

I think you meant to say "isolated spambots and 4channers from the set of humans".

You repeat yourself.

Re:UN solution

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah, I'm sure they'll get right on that. They did such a great job with Cuba, Iraq, Afghanistan, North Korea, China, ....

Re:Economics of human CAPTCHA-solving

[clone53421]

sweatshop ... paying roughly $5/hour

You're doing it wrong.