Analytical Spam Filter vs BotBlocker Security – Complete security platform

Most spam filters make your visitors do the work by solving captchas, clicking image grids, or proving they are human before they can leave a comment. Analytical Spam Filter takes a different approach. It analyzes how a submission behaves and blocks spam automatically, with no friction for legitimate visitors. Key Features No captchas No API keys No third-party services Privacy-friendly design Behavioral spam detection IP reputation tracking Content fingerprinting Cache-compatible operation Install it, activate it, and it starts working. Spam is identified by observing behaviors that real visitors naturally exhibit. People take time to read before typing, interact with the page, and use a real browser. Bots often skip those signals. The plugin uses those differences to distinguish legitimate submissions from automated spam without interrupting the user experience. The plugin uses multiple independent detection techniques on every submission. A bot that bypasses one check is likely to be caught by another. This layered approach improves effectiveness over time. Once a spammer’s IP address or message content has been identified, future attempts can be blocked more quickly. Visitors with a previously approved comment are never flagged, regardless of the spam history associated with their IP address. No visitor data is sent to external spam services, and no account registration or API configuration is required. All field names added by the plugin are randomized during installation and can be regenerated at any time. This helps prevent bots from targeting the plugin based on known source code signatures. The plugin is compatible with caching plugins when Cache Compatibility is enabled. The plugin blocks spam submitted through the default WordPress comment form only. It is also automatically compatible with the Micro Contact Form plugin. Blocking Methods Timestamp Blocking — Records when the page loaded and when the form was submitted. Submissions that arrive too quickly to have genuinely read the page, or after the token has expired, are blocked. Duration Blocking — Measures how long the visitor actively spent filling out the form. Bots fill forms almost instantly. Requires Cache Compatibility to be enabled. IP Blocking — Remembers which IP addresses have been blocked before. Once an address reaches the configured threshold, future submissions are flagged without running the remaining checks. IP addresses with a previously approved comment are never flagged. Content Blocking — Remembers the content of blocked spam. If the same message appears again from a different IP address, it is flagged immediately. Content that matches a previously approved comment is excluded from the spam history. Honeypot — Adds a hidden field that legitimate visitors never see or interact with. Bots that fill every available field are caught. Submissions where the field is missing entirely are also flagged. Automated Client Detection — Blocks submissions from automated tools that do not identify themselves as a real browser. Legitimate visitors send this information automatically. Referer Check — Blocks submissions that did not originate from a page on your own site. URL / Domain Blocking — Flags submissions containing more URLs or domain names than the configured limit. Spam comments frequently contain multiple links. JavaScript Check — When Timestamp or Duration Blocking is active, the plugin can determine whether JavaScript ran when the form loaded. Bots that skip JavaScript are caught automatically. Randomized Field Names — Hidden field names are randomized during installation and can be regenerated at any time from the settings page, so bots cannot target the plugin based on known field names. Trackback Blocking — Optionally block all trackbacks, which are a common source of spam. Pingback Blocking — Optionally block all pingbacks, which are a common source of spam. General Options Send email notifications for blocked spam, valid submissions, or all submissions Configurable email rate limit to prevent inbox flooding during attacks Add spam to the WordPress spam queue, or block and reject it immediately Optionally show rejection reasons to the submitter Enable Cache Compatibility for caching plugin support and duration blocking Regenerate security keys at any time from the settings page

BotBlocker Security is a complete security platform that blocks 99% of attacks before WordPress loads. Firewall, bot detection, rate limiting, CAPTCHA, 2FA, analytics, notifications, tools – one plugin replaces your entire security stack: no need for separate firewall, CAPTCHA, 2FA, and anti-spam plugins. No bloat, no monthly fees for core protection. If your site is hit by login brute force, spam comments, fake Googlebots, content scrapers, or XML-RPC floods, you are not alone: bots generate over 47% of all web traffic. Most security plugins react after WordPress boots, wasting CPU and memory on every bad request. BotBlocker stops them at the door – then gives you the analytics, alerts, and tools to understand exactly what it blocked and why. Because BotBlocker intercepts traffic before themes and plugins run, it also shields vulnerabilities in your entire plugin and theme stack. Zero-days in contact form plugins, unpatched slider code, outdated e-commerce extensions – attackers never reach the vulnerable code. BotBlocker is your first and last line of defense, every day. Why site owners switch to BotBlocker Faster than the competition. Runs on early init through three interception layers, before themes and plugins load. Server load drops during attacks instead of spiking. Zero database queries for returning visitors – 11 pre-generated PHP files with SHA-256 integrity, loaded via native include. One plugin, full security stack. Firewall, CAPTCHA, 2FA, anti-spam, rate limiting, bot detection – BotBlocker covers virtually every security need a WordPress site has. Most users uninstall 2-3 separate plugins after switching. PRO adds malware scanning, security headers, speed optimization, and behavioral analysis – still one plugin. Smarter bot detection. 2,899 User-Agent signatures – largest blacklist among WordPress plugins – plus 2,800+ additional bot signatures. 13 header checks including AdBlock detection, incognito mode detection, Canvas/WebGL fingerprinting, and device API verification. Anti-detect scoring with 9 weighted signals catches headless Chrome, Puppeteer, Selenium, and PhantomJS even when they spoof user-agent strings. Smarter CAPTCHA. 9 modes including Silent Auto-Verify – zero clicks for humans, hard wall for bots. Proprietary CAPTCHAs defeat AI-based solvers that crack reCAPTCHA for $2-3 per 1,000. Honest free version. Full firewall, all 9 CAPTCHA modes, full 2FA, full logging, full Multisite, Redis/Memcached, shortcodes, command palette, Telegram alerts, visual analytics, 15 diagnostic tools. No nag screens, no crippled features. Privacy-first. No visitor data leaves your server. GDPR and CCPA compliant out of the box. Works with everything. Cloudflare, WP Rocket, LiteSpeed, WooCommerce, Elementor, multisite, IPv6, PHP 7.4 to 8.5. 🛡️ Core Firewall (Free) Three-Layer Architecture – intercepts traffic at wp-config.php (before WordPress), MU-plugin phase, and main shield. The first layer blocks known threats before WordPress, plugins, or themes even load – saving 30-100ms and 5-20MB RAM per blocked request. This also means BotBlocker shields you from vulnerabilities in other plugins and themes: attackers exploiting a zero-day in a contact form or slider plugin never reach the vulnerable code. Web Application Firewall (WAF) with real-time rule updates via the BotBlocker Threat Defense Feed 2,899 User-Agent signatures – largest blacklist among WordPress plugins – covering Scrapy, Selenium, Puppeteer, PhantomJS, curl, wget, Python, Java, Perl, and SQL injection tools. Plus 2,800+ additional bot signatures. Brute force protection with progressive lockouts – 5 attempts per 15 minutes, escalating bans for repeat offenders Rate Limiting – sliding window velocity tracking per IP. 30 requests/minute triggers CAPTCHA challenge; 50 requests/minute blocks IP for 10 minutes. Subnet-level aggregation catches distributed attacks across /24 IPv4 or /64 IPv6 ranges. Floor protection prevents false positives at low thresholds. Anti-spam for comments, registration, contact forms – spammers blocked before they connect XML-RPC and REST API locked down by default with allowlist for trusted services HTTP method-level hardening – CONNECT and TRACE blocked (XST attack prevention). OPTIONS handled for CORS preflight. Explicit method allowlist. Fake crawler detection via FCrDNS (dual-direction DNS verification), ASN tokens, and published IP ranges – 95% effective, impossible to spoof without controlling the provider’s DNS zone. Multi-resolver DNS fallback. LLM / AI crawler management – allow or block GPTBot, ChatGPT-User, ClaudeBot, PerplexityBot, Bytespider via CIDR-verified IP ranges. 1,435 LLM source ranges synced from cloud. Trusted crawlers verified, impersonators blocked. Country, ASN, IP range, User-Agent, Referer blocking rules with instant enforcement. ASN database: 3.6M verified source records. Geo-blocking with visual country selector and import/export. Cloudflare-aware real-IP resolution and origin bypass protection TLS fingerprinting (JA3/JA4) – detects bots by TLS handshake signature, cross-validates against User-Agent. 189 JA3/JA4 signatures. Opt-in, requires server module. See docs/TLS-FINGERPRINTING.md RKN (Roskomnadzor) blocking – 852 CIDR ranges, cloud-synced, auto-updated with self-healing tamper recovery Full IPv6 support – separate tables and logic for IPv4 and IPv6, every feature works with both Live traffic monitor with attack map, country, ASN, device, browser, and exact block reason for every request Built-in caching via Redis and Memcached – free, auto-disable on connection failure 🔍 Bot Detection & Anti-Detect (Free) 13 HTTP header checks run on every visitor, catching bots that other plugins miss: Empty User-Agent / UA Anomalies / Empty Accept-Language PTR/DNS Mismatch – forward/reverse DNS mismatch, impossible to fake Geo vs Language Mismatch – visitor claiming one language from a different country Incognito/Private Mode detection AdBlock/uBlock detection in visitor’s browser Canvas & WebGL Fingerprinting – JS consistency verification WhatsApp Preview / OPTIONS Preflight – legitimate traffic whitelisted Anti-Detect Challenge Page activates when header checks raise suspicion – silent browser fingerprinting before any CAPTCHA appears: 9 weighted detection signals: navigator mismatch (×2), fake plugins (×3), font rendering mismatch (×2), WebGL mismatch (×2), Chromium-specific properties (×3), JS execution jitter, touch event mismatch (×2), language mismatch (×3), incognito detection (×2) Critical signal combinations trigger immediate block – e.g. navigator mismatch + fake plugins together Cookie capability test + sessionStorage retry counter HMAC-signed responses resist DDoS provider interference Circuit Breaker: 3 failures → 30-second cooldown → auto-retry CAPTCHA appears only if auto-verification fails – real users rarely see it 🎯 CAPTCHA System – All 9 Modes Free # Mode User Experience Best For 8 Silent Auto-Verify (Recommended) Zero clicks. JS fingerprint check passes silently. Default. Maximum UX. 0 Simple Button Single “I am not a robot” button Minimal friction 1 Color Buttons Click the matching color button Visual verification 2 Image CAPTCHA Click the image matching the category. 5 packs: Eagle, Horse, Raccoon, Dog, Cat Visual recognition 3 reCAPTCHA v2 + Button Google checkbox + BotBlocker button Google ecosystem users 4 reCAPTCHA v2 Standard Google reCAPTCHA Google ecosystem only 5 Dynamic Shapes 60fps Canvas with moving geometric figures. 5 shapes × 5 colors = 25 combinations. Maximum anti-AI protection 6 Dynamic Digits Animated math equation Math verification 7 Hold Button Hold and release in the green zone Physical interaction proof Hybrid Mode – combine any internal CAPTCHA with invisible reCAPTCHA v3 for two-layer defense DDoS Resilience Mode – HMAC-signed verification responses prevent forged challenge bypass Session Token Verification – cookie-less fingerprint for restricted hosting (no CAPTCHA loops for VPN/proxy users) CAPTCHA Diagnostics – failure reason codes (token decrypt, transient missing, hash mismatch, mode mismatch) for precise troubleshooting Image Delivery Modes: Inline Base64 (single request, recommended) or Separate Requests (cache-friendly) 🔒 Login Security & 2FA (Free) Two-Factor Authentication compatible with Google Authenticator, Authy, 1Password, Bitwarden – TOTP standard with 10 backup codes 9 CAPTCHA modes on login, registration, lost password, and custom forms Hybrid Mode – combine any internal CAPTCHA with reCAPTCHA v3 for two-layer invisible defense on login Hide login URL (PRO) Configurable lockout durations with escalation for repeat offenders – failed CAPTCHA triggers short ban, repeated failure triggers 24-hour ban 💳 Payment Gateway Bypass (Free) Auto-detects 25+ e-commerce platforms (WooCommerce, Easy Digital Downloads, SureCart, MemberPress, Paid Memberships Pro, Give, Dokan, CartFlows, FunnelKit, and more) and 150+ payment providers (Stripe, PayPal, Mollie, Adyen, Braintree, Square, Razorpay, Klarna, Paddle, Authorize.Net, 2Checkout, YooKassa, LiqPay, and more). Also auto-detects webhooks from form plugins (Contact Form 7, WPForms, Gravity Forms, Ninja Forms, Formidable Forms, Forminator, Fluent Forms). Four detection layers – 198 path patterns, 227 query keys, 360 action names, 114 signature headers – ensure zero false positives on payment traffic. Webhooks, IPN callbacks, and payment notifications never get blocked. 📊 Visibility & Control (Free) Visual dashboard with KPI cards – Requests today, Blocked today, Search engines passed, Protection score (0-100%). Hourly bar chart, distribution donut charts (Hosting, Device, Browser, OS) Dashboard social proof card – live WordPress.org rating (1-5 stars with half-star), active installs count, number of ratings, link to WP.org (cached 12 hours) Inline IP rule widget – add IP allow/block rules directly from dashboard via AJAX, no page reload. Bulk IP import with 4 one-click buttons (IPv4/IPv6 whitelist/blacklist). Protection Status Checklist – individual enable/disable toggles for all features with “Enable remaining” bulk action Health Score gauge – 44 parameters across 3 categories, 5 security levels from Critical (<25) to Secure (≥85). Real-time score updates as you change settings. 3 security presets – Light, Strong, Full – one-click configuration. Plus Default for new installs. Setup Wizard – 8 steps: welcome → protection level → compatibility check → exclusions → CAPTCHA → init mode → cache → finish with summary. Under 5 minutes. ⌘K Command Palette – press Ctrl+K / ⌘K on any admin page to instantly search and navigate every setting, tab, and action. 30+ quick-action shortcuts (“Block an IP address”, “Set up 2FA”, “Run malware scan”, “Clear visitor cookies”). Near-zero-click configuration. Interactive analytics – 8 KPI metrics, donut charts (Hosting, Device, Browser, OS), traffic line chart with time range, world map with country-level visualization, top IPs and top countries ranking tables 55 diagnostic event codes across 12 log categories – exact block reason for every single decision. 12 categories independently toggleable. Detailed event log with IP, country, ASN, User-Agent, browser type, OS type, device type, and exact block reason 17 interface languages – English, Deutsch, Español, Français, Polski, Русский, Українська, العربية, עברית, Italiano, 日本語, 한국어, Nederlands, Português, Svenska, Türkçe, 中文 + POT template Admin page header bar – “Blocked today: X · Total: Y” on every admin page without opening dashboard Admin bar WordPress toolbar node – protection status + Dashboard + Settings links Configurable retention with timezone and DST awareness. Daily Summary with incremental aggregation for fast multi-day analytics. X-Robots-Tag control – user-configurable SEO directives (noindex, nofollow, noarchive, nosnippet, noimageindex, notranslate, unavailable_after) on blocked/challenge pages – prevents search engines from indexing security barriers Clean uninstall – drops all 17 tables, removes 40+ options, clears 22+ transients, removes 12 cron hooks, deletes MU-plugin files and uploads/botblocker/ directory. Uninstall feedback dialog collects departure reason. Zero leftover data. 📬 Notifications & Alerts (Free) Email reports – daily / twice-weekly / monthly security summaries with key metrics. Critical server load warnings and Cloud API expiry alerts. Telegram Bot integration (add-on) – weekly security summaries via @BotFather-connected bot: total requests, allowed, blocked, suspicious, search bots, fake bots, timezone, protection mode, security score, block rate. Connection test button for setup verification. Configured in Add-ons → Telegram Notifications. Admin Dashboard Alerts (8 types) – cloud connection lost, missing runtime files, cloud API expired, cloud API hits exhausted, ASN database update failed, addon update failed, addon incompatible, cache plugin incompatibility 🧩 Shortcodes & Developer Tools (Free) 20 shortcodes for frontend dashboards, client portals, and status pages: Shortcode What It Displays [bbcs_counters_grid] Hits + blocked + search engine counters [bbcs_blocked_today] / [bbcs_blocked_total] Block counters [bbcs_health_gauge] Visual health score gauge chart [botblocker_generateSiteHealthList] Security recommendations checklist [bbcs_health_full] Full health assessment grid [bbcs_top_ips] / [bbcs_top_countries] Top IPs and countries (configurable count + days) [bbcs_top_devices] / [bbcs_top_browsers] Top devices and browsers [bbcs_latest_hits] Latest visitor hits table [botblocker_rules_stats] IPv4/IPv6 rules + paths + bots statistics [bbcs_database_update] / [bbcs_database_total] Cloud IP database stats [bbcs_system_status] Server info: OS, PHP, DB, WP versions [bbcs_botblocker_news] BotBlocker news feed [bbcs_lang_options] Language selector dropdown [bbcs_plugins_themes] Installed plugins and themes list [bbcs_cron_tasks] Scheduled cron tasks widget [bbcs_recommendations] Security improvement recommendations WP Connectors (WordPress 6.7+) – BotBlocker registers as a native WordPress Connector on the Connections admin page Custom verification endpoint (bbcs-verify) – decoupled from WordPress permalink structure WordPress Admin → Tools → Site Health → Info integration Plugin update changelog injection – changelog displayed directly in the WordPress plugin update screen Floating support widget on all admin pages – submit support tickets from dashboard without leaving site 🔧 Tools & Diagnostics (Free) 15 maintenance and diagnostic actions built into the admin panel: Tool Purpose Export Data & Settings Full JSON backup of settings, rules, IP lists, configuration Import Data & Settings Restore from JSON backup Reinstall Database Factory-reset all BotBlocker tables Repair & Optimize DB WordPress database repair and optimization Clear All Visitor Data Purge hits, counters, and statistics Clear Transients Remove expired WordPress transients Update ASN Database Download latest 3.6M-record ASN geolocation database Update RU-Gov List Download latest 852-range RKN CIDR blocklist Sync LLM Providers Refresh 1,435 AI crawler IP ranges from cloud Clear Visitor Cookies Reset all BotBlocker cookies – forces re-verification Reset URL Rewrite Rules Fix 404 errors after permalink changes Clear Object Cache Flush WordPress internal + Redis/Memcached caches Site Health Open WordPress Site Health diagnostic Clear Debug Log / Download Debug Log Purge or download wp-content/debug.log for support 🚀 PRO Adds (Premium / Pro / Ultimate) Cloud Threat Intelligence – 5M+ attack IPs cross-checked against global databases. Zero-day behavioral and heuristic detection catches unknown attack patterns before signatures exist. VPN, Tor, proxy, ASN, and hosting reputation checks. Early Init Mode – filtering before WordPress Core loads. Boot code in wp-config.php blocks threats at the earliest possible layer. Up to 30-100ms and 5-20MB RAM saved per blocked request. Multisite-aware, auto-disables if Cloud API inactive. Self-healing runtime files. Hide Login URL – custom admin URL slug. Four behaviors when default URL is accessed: 403 message, 404 page, …