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Maniphest T25982

CAPTCHA can be required when logging in from toolserver
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Description

Author: cbm.wikipedia

Description:
From time to time, the wikimedia servers will decide that a CAPTCHA is required to log in from toolserver hosts such as nightshade.toolserver.org. Once this happens, bots on the toolserver can no longer log in until the CAPTCHA requirement is (automatically) lifted. But there is nothing an individual bot maintainer can do to resolve the problem except turn off their bot and wait.

One solution would be to exempt toolserver hosts from the CAPTCHA, but that may not be the most desirable solution for various reasons. Maybe there's a better fix?

This is a tracking bug for possible solutions.

Version: unspecified
Severity: normal

Details

Reference
bz23982

Event Timeline

• bzimport raised the priority of this task from to Medium.Nov 21 2014, 11:06 PM
• bzimport added a project: WMF-General-or-Unknown.
• bzimport set Reference to bz23982.
• bzimport added a subscriber: Unknown Object (MLST).
• bzimport created this task.Jun 15 2010, 6:45 PM
Mr.Z-man added a comment.Jun 15 2010, 10:31 PM

The ConfirmEdit extension has a $wgCaptchaWhitelistIP setting, so globally exempting the toolserver on WMF wikis would be trivial to do.

Peachey88 added a comment.Jun 16 2010, 12:12 AM

Shouldn't it already be avoided once it's logged in (assuming the bot is autoconfirmed)?

• bzimport added a comment.Jun 16 2010, 12:24 AM

cbm.wikipedia wrote:

If the bot is already logged in, and does not need to log in again, things should be fine for it. But if the bot runs from a cron job, for example, and logs in each time it runs, then being autoconfirmed does not help.

Also, because there are lots of bots all trying to log in at once, manually solving the captcha and logging in by hand is not a sure fix, like it would be on a home computer. If some other bot tries to log in without the captcha before it is removed, the captcha system will engage again.

• bzimport added a comment.Jun 16 2010, 12:40 AM

soxred93 wrote:

Marking as critical, this is a major issue that is preventing multiple bots from logging in.

• MZMcBride added a comment.Jun 16 2010, 1:58 AM

$wgCaptchaWhitelistIP = array( '91.198.174.0/24' ); # toolserver (bug 23982)

Synced by Tim a few minutes ago. This resolves the specific current issue, but as this is a tracking bug, it should remain open until a proper fix is implemented.

tstarling added a comment.Jun 16 2010, 2:11 AM

It was a proper fix.

• bzimport added a comment.Jun 19 2010, 12:02 AM

soxred93 wrote:

Still appears to be an issue. After verifying that everything is still correct, I am getting WrongPass and Throttled errors.

• bzimport added a comment.Jun 19 2010, 12:34 AM

soxred93 wrote:

PEBCAK

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