"I'm not a robot" on websites--why?

[Jeffhs]

Why does just about every website which asks for personal information have something called "reCAPTCHA" in a small box? The text near the checkbox says "I'm not a robot", which I find very insulting. Of course I am not a robot (nor are any other human beings who use these sites), so why on earth does this reCAPTCHA box even exist? As I said, I find this extremely insulting and demeaning. Are logins to websites by actual robots that much of a problem that these sites must ask if the person entering information on them are in fact humans, not robots?

[Phil]

Are logins to websites by actual robots that much of a problem that these sites must ask if the person entering information on them are in fact humans, not robots?

Absolutely!

[init4fun]

Hi Jeff,

Here is a copy & paste from a different website other than VK that shows all of the active users at the time I grabbed this info. As you can see, there are a fair number of robots (So called "Bots" in computer lingo speak), if even a fraction of those 160 Bots are up to no good I don't mind having to click on a few select pictures to thwart their info mining mission. "Click on all pictures with a bicycle"




"Total: 1,806 (members: 275, guests: 1,371, robots: 160)"

[user181]

Originally Posted by Jeffhs

Are logins to websites by actual robots that much of a problem that these sites must ask if the person entering information on them are in fact humans, not robots?

YES!

And before you go there, no, these are not humanlike android machines sitting at a computer screen. Robots ("bots", as they're known in this context), can also be automated computer programs that scan the internet and log into websites with intent to steal information, perform identity theft, and other nefarious actions.

[Dude111]

Yes its a pain but sadly thats what spammers have done

[Jeffhs]

Thank you one and all for setting me straight on this. I've been using the Internet and email for years and never realized, until now, what a menace these so-called "bots" can be. Such systems as reCAPTCHA cause nothing but trouble, so I think it is very good that the websites which do ask whether the person entering information on them will ask whether the person is a robot (bot) or not. I guess this has become a real problem these days, if it is necessary to have devices the likes of reCAPTCHA to weed out the troublemakers.

[Electronic M]

I feel like we answered this question before, but it might have been your 'why do I need a password for anything other than the bank' thread I'm thinking about.

One of the main reasons for the captcha is that bots can take over a humans account by obtaining the password through brute force...Brute force password hacking is basically finding a valid username and trying to repeatedly log in under every possible password (similar to sitting down with one of those 3 disc 0-9 combination locks on a briefcase and trying every 3digit combo till it opens). Computers (bots) can do it really fast which is part of the reason why password requirements are getting longer and more complex (more wheels/digits = longer brute force time). The captcha is the best way to thwart the issue without inconveniencing users.... Locking the account for a set period of time after too many failed logins is another, but if the bot is vigilant in waiting that out it could make it so the person it belongs to can effectively never log in.
This is part of the reason big corporations often require their employees to change passwords every 2-6 months ( most of those computers WILL lock if they sense brute force so several minutes of wait is required between every 3-10 brute force login entries which slows the process) of course that created security holes like lots of people with no memory setting their password to something like spring23 or summer 23 during those months and caused companies to look for those patterns in their database and ban use of those passwords...

You should watch the YouTube videos of the presentations at hacker/cyber security conventions such as Defcon. It's fascinating how badly designed some of our systems are and how clever some hackers are. There is a whole industry of hackers for hire called pen testers where a company hires one of to try and attack them to look for holes in their security systems so they can identify and patch them.
Information is money and assets must be secured.

[init4fun]

Ok, , , SOMEONE had to.........

[Dude111]

Originally Posted by Jeffhs
Thank you one and all for setting me straight on this. I've been using the Internet and email for years and never realized, until now, what a menace these so-called "bots" can be.

Im a co-admin on mauisun.org/smf .... I sadly know how bad they are