Adding CAPTCHA protection to an Elgg site

CAPTCHA protection helps secure your Elgg community site by preventing automated bots from creating accounts, posting spam, or abusing forms. On ruachost.com, you can enable CAPTCHA or integrate Google reCAPTCHA for stronger protection.

Why Use CAPTCHA?

• Blocks automated registrations and spam submissions.
• Protects login and registration forms from brute‑force attacks.
• Improves overall site security and user trust.

Enabling CAPTCHA in Elgg

Step 1: Install the CAPTCHA Plugin

1. Download the official Elgg CAPTCHA plugin or a third‑party plugin such as Elgg reCAPTCHA.

2. Upload the plugin to your Elgg installation’s mod directory:

   /home/username/public_html/elgg/mod/

3. Log in to Elgg as the administrator.

4. Go to Administration → Plugins.

5. Locate the CAPTCHA plugin and click Enable.

Step 2: Configure CAPTCHA Settings

1. In the Elgg admin panel, go to Administration → Settings → CAPTCHA.

2. Choose where CAPTCHA should appear:

   • Registration form
   • Login form
   • Contact form
   • Comments/posts

3. Adjust difficulty settings (number of characters, distortion, etc.).

4. Save configuration.

Adding Google reCAPTCHA to Elgg

For stronger protection, use Google reCAPTCHA:

1. Register your site at the Google reCAPTCHA Admin Console.
2. Obtain your Site Key and Secret Key.
3. Install the Elgg reCAPTCHA plugin.
4. In Elgg admin, go to Administration → Settings → reCAPTCHA.
5. Enter your keys and select which forms to protect.
6. Save configuration.

Important Notes

• CAPTCHA plugins must be compatible with your Elgg version.
• Test CAPTCHA on a staging site before enabling it on production.
• If CAPTCHA fails to display, clear Elgg’s cache and check theme compatibility.
• Google reCAPTCHA v3 is less intrusive but requires tuning to avoid false positives.