in reply to CGI Honeypot?

What does the error log on the server say?

While I see what might be the problem, I'm highly unwilling to let you continue to use formmail.pl as it is.

Please at least use the nms version for the formmail script.

Update: Also note that almost all spam bots will fill the field either with the default value you give it or a random value, so your honeypot would be mostly useless.

Replies are listed 'Best First'.
Re^2: CGI Honeypot?
by Hans Castorp (Sexton) on Jul 18, 2014 at 18:58 UTC

    Thanks Corion, for your concern and thoughts. I am working with old forms/scripts that were here for years before I came on the scene...and I am still very much a newbie figuring out how programming works. As I've struggled trying to find solutions for this, I've come across the dire warnings about Formmail.pl, and vow to rewrite these cgi scripts using a safer template - however, for now I just need to get this working.

    re: your update comment - if I am looking for an empty field in order to allow the form to validate, and the bot fills the field in, how is that going to be useless? I'm not following you.

    *Thanks for the nms link. :-)

[reply]

      If you leave the field empty and expect it to be empty, most bots will do just that.

      But there are also bots that will fill arbitrary values into fields.

      In both cases, your form will be used to send spam.

[reply]

        Hmm. But how will the bot *know* I want it empty? It looks like any other field on the form.

[reply]
Re^2: CGI Honeypot?
by Hans Castorp (Sexton) on Jul 18, 2014 at 19:32 UTC

    Sorry, Corion, I tried but can't get access to the error logs right now. I don't have those creds yet, and my fearless leader is not here.

[reply]

In Section Seekers of Perl Wisdom