The key to using CAPTCHA to secure your website

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April 7, 2021 Business

We’ve all come across it while surfing the web; the (in)famous “I’m not a robot” message. Of course, you’re not a robot or a terminator from the future, but have you ever wondered what exactly is it and why you’re prompted to type weird-looking and distorted alphabets or numbers to prove that you’re human?

They’re called CAPTCHA, and their job is to block spamming machines from posting wherever they want. A kind of challenge-response evaluation is used in computing to establish if the user is human or just a malicious algorithm trying to break in.

Many websites commonly use it to protect themselves from hacks and spam by bots. The users are asked to perform some task that a software bot, program, or algorithm cannot carry out. These simple tests often involve images, random characters, or numbers because while bots can identify the existence of an image by reading source code, they cannot tell what the image depicts or the source of a random distorted number or alphabet.

Since some CAPTCHA images are challenging to interpret or identify because of the image being purposely a little distorted, users are usually given the option to request a new test. They are presented with a new combination of alphabets and numbers or images.

Why is CAPTCHA needed?

The simple answer, CAPTCHA is used to stop spams and spammers from flooding your website. CAPTCHA works by stopping spam in emails, websites, portals, and blogs. Quite many spammers flood your inbox or your comment section with links to whatever they would like to push. This test is specifically designed to ensure only humans can sign in and a bot doesn’t leave spam.

CAPTCHA is a security layer that filters out real humans from spambots by providing added defense from spammers and scammers whose main aim is to copy users’ email addresses. These spammers or hackers would snoop around for email addresses that are posted in cleartext. With the help of CAPTCHA, you can stay shielded against these unwanted guests. That’s why users are required to solve a CAPTCHA before an email address is shown.

At present, programs, bots, algorithms, and computer systems do not possess the level of intelligence or cognitive abilities humans have when processing and analyzing visual data or information. Human minds are engineered in such a way that we pick up on patterns in everything they see. CAPTCHA works using this to its advantage to filter out unwanted spammers and bots.

Hence, the need for CAPTCHAs for website security cannot be overemphasized.

But do these CAPTCHA tests work?

CAPTCHA’s primary aim is to ask a question or present a task that is impossible for the computer or a bot to complete while also being easy for humans at the same time. Initially, the test took the form of a panel that contained obscured letters or numbers, and the user had to identify this and type the response. However, with time, other forms of captcha tests have been developed or evolved. In some cases, the users would be shown an image with a grid over the top. They’ll then be asked to point out all those areas of the grid that contain a random feature like a bicycle, street lamps, or fire hydrants. There are different types of CAPTCHAs, each with its unique test.

Mathematical CAPTCHA is those tests where you are required to solve an elementary math problem, such as adding or subtracting two numbers. For example, you might be asked what is 10-6=?

Marketing CAPTCHA is where the user is prompted to type a specific phrase or word related to the sponsor’s brand.

“I am not a robot” CAPTCHA, where you have to check a box that confirms that you’re not a robot.

3D CAPTCHA is an assessment where the user must identify a 3D rendered image to pass the test.

CAPTCHAs help secure your website by preventing spam from automated programs or bots engineered to shoot emails, advertisements, or spam comments on websites. The CAPTCHA tests also help prevent sham or fraud signups and registrations on your website. Many people know what CAPTCHAs are, and therefore these visitors will by default understand what they’re supposed to do since the instructions of the tests are quite basic.

What are the other steps I can follow to stay protected?

Use HTTPS instead of HTTP

You can use Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure or HTTPS as it is commonly known, which is a more secure form of HTTP. HTTPS magnifies the security of your data as it is encrypted. To give you a perspective, websites that are not HTTPS are at risk of internet service providers or other intermediaries pouring in content or, in this case, spam into the webpages without the approval of the website owner, which is YOU. But encryption can protect your data so far, the reason why you need an authenticator to oversee the communication that happens between you and the server and to ensure that it’s secure.

This is where a Secure socket layer or SSL comes in handy by providing a safe and secure transfer-layer protecting your confidential and precious data from falling into the wrong hands.

SSL certificates act like a reinforced second wall that ensures that it’s genuinely you and not some outsider or an attacker trying to gain access. You can buy cheap SSL certs from many providers such as GlobalSign, DigiCert, SSL2BUY, etc.

The SSL certificates ensure a safe and secure transfer-layer contact between two endpoints by working on two primary protocols, the Handshake Protocol and the Record Protocol.

Make sure your data is backed up

No matter which website you’re using, it’s essential that you have a backup of your data and also make sure you’re using an updated version of the software. By doing so, you’re making it difficult for malicious software or hackers to access your information. If you don’t do this, your precious data is at a risk of being hacked and used without your consent which can lead to disastrous results.

Keep changing your password

Another way to keep your data secure is to make sure you keep updating your password frequently. That doesn’t mean keeping an elementary password as it would be effortless to crack. Keeping that in mind, your passwords should be complex, lengthy, and should have some special characters.

In conclusion, using CAPTCHAs is vital and plays a vital role in ensuring that unwanted elements or bots do not spam your website with advertisements or unimportant information.