Protect JSPWiki with a CAPTCHA for Anonymous and Asserted users when editing pages.

In order to avoid adding a heavy-weight graphics library to JSPWiki to generate a graphic representation of the secret word, one could rely on FLICKr photo's. Here is the process : ( inspired by JMAKI CAPTCHA widget )

• Step 1: query FLICKR to retrieve a feed of photo's with the oneletter tag (do this for each letter) This list of photo's, representing certain chars, could be cached; and regularly refreshed.

EG Image J
http://www.flickr.com/services/feeds/photos_public.gne?tags=oneletter,j

EG Image J, json feed
http://www.flickr.com/services/feeds/photos_public.gne?tags=oneletter,j&format=json

• Step 2: when a Anonymous or Asserted users SAVE a edited page, they'll see the readable FLICKr photos. The CAPTCHA string gets validated at server side.

--DF

Might be a dumb idea, but how about a text only captcha, like "whats six times by nine" or "which year is it right now". You could even obfuscate the question like SPAM - "Wh4tz sIX T|/\/\Es 9?" if the spammers caught up...

--Dave Pearson, 27-Oct-2006

I think the text-only captcha makes a LOT of sense. --Terry Steichen, 27-Oct-2006

But it's gonna be hard to localize.

-- JanneJalkanen

OK, easier to adapt language-wise...

Decode this to access the service...

Message: 13 55 81 81 88

(they need to type in HELLO in this instance)

But possibly easier to script if you're a wiki-spammer.

--DavePearson