UBB.threads PHP Forum Software Community Forums UBB.classic UBB.classic 6 Support Finding passwords

Too many cool new features in 6.7 for me to ignore,so I upgraded over the weekend (from 6.5).

A big problem now for me..

I need to be able to find user's passwords (really!)

To answer the obvious question I will explain -

My forums killed a very active usenet newsgroup - it took well over two years for the death of the newsgroup to complete (I mean, there are still a post or three there each day, but that's it).. and so many people were so upset that I was replacing their 'little cesspool' that I had to implement numerous email bans (and IP of course) to avoid problems - this worked, but left me a BIG problem now.

For a couple of years, everyone that joined my forums with hotmail, yahoo, etc. email (the easy to get easy to fake email providers I mean), was manually registered by me, with a faked email address - this kept the anonymous attacks completely under control, but left me with hundreds of users that have to contact me to get their password, if they forget - and two or three do forget each day.. and now with p/w being case sensitive (YIKES!!)

HELP - is there any way I can see the passwords of users?

I have implemented a work around, but it is a big pain, and will take months (I have removed the email bans too)..

Bob

You will have to look in the User's file, or get a hack from UBBDev to view Passwords. *Edit* You can find that at https://www.ubbdev.com/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi/topic/33/140.html?

Passwords are only Case Sensitive for the Control Panel currently.

The password viewing will become a moot point once MD5 is fully implemented...

If I were you I would change your thinking and not allow fake email addresses. Suppose YOU have a problem with someone with a fake address? How to YOU contact them? Sounds like a disaster in the making.

Or force them to use a real address but allow them to hide it.

I force all members to supply real addresses but hide them from anyone else's viewing. It's the best possible way as if you have an issue with an individual you can contact them as well as ban them from your board (and it'll take them longer to signup for new email addresses to continue the issues if any)

for Mark K - the faked email addresses were simply the real email with an F at the []end...bill@hotmailF.com[/] as an example. From this I know the real email address, and it is easy to track. Absolutely not a disaster at all, it worked very (!) well for over two years, and ended completely the problems I was having - from dozens of problems a day to zero with one little change - but now big trouble for me..

I do require a real email address to register, and if it was a banned provider's address, they had to contact me to get registered.

for Gizmo - the problem was that some people only have Hotmail / Yahoo, etc.. and the restriction was on or off.. not selective.. When I allowed hotmail / yahoo / etc.. I would get dozens of anonymous new 'members' who then tried to violate rules, create fights, make trouble.. Those folks even watched to see when I would not be available (overseas travel of mine was / is quite well known in my Forums), and used other methods to create troubles..

The good news is that for about 8 months now things have been very calm (relatively) - I have now, of course, removed the email restriction, and I am even hoping the troubles will not reappear, but in the mean time.. not having access to the passwords is an incredibly big problem.

**edit / update **

And Ron,thanks very much for the updated link - that little mod did exactly what I wanted..