IP protection
Marc Wagner
March 11, 2025
IP protection allows you to block IP addresses for a period of time defined by you after multiple spam messages have been sent. We recommend that you only activate this option if you continue to receive spam messages despite all other measures.
IP protection logs all failed Captcha attempts. As soon as the limit you have defined is reached within the specified period, the IP address is encrypted, stored in the database and blocked for the specified period.
Attention
Blocking the IP address by the IP protection of the Captcha plugin only means that the visitor can no longer send forms that are protected by the plugin. It is still possible to access the website and read content.
Activating the IP protection #
To activate IP protection and use it effectively, follow the steps below:
- Navigate to the Captcha menu item
- Scroll until you reach the IP protection entry
- Activate the IP protection by flipping the switch.
- Set the maximum repeat attempts to 3
- Set the time interval to 300 seconds
- Reset the unlocking function after X seconds, 3600
- Set the interval protection to 60 seconds.
Explanation of terms #
Here you will find a detailed explanation of the terms used in the settings to make configuration easier for you.
| Term | Description |
| Maximum repeat attempts | This value defines how often the forms sent by the user must be classified as spam before they are blocked. Only forms that have been submitted in direct succession are taken into account. Successful verification of the user resets this counting process. |
| Time interval | This value defines the time span in seconds within which the forms are evaluated. The maximum number of retries must be exceeded within this period for the IP address to be blocked. |
| Unlocking after X seconds | This value specifies how many seconds an IP address remains blocked before it can be used to send forms again. Note: IP addresses are often assigned dynamically by the Internet provider and can therefore be used by different users. Blocking an IP address permanently or for a very long time could therefore have a negative impact on legitimate visitors to your website. |
| Interval protection | This value defines the time span in seconds within which successive forms are classified as spam. Example: If a form is sent several times within 60 seconds, these attempts are classified as spam. |
Delete / release IP entries #
You can unblock the blocked IP addresses at any time. To do this, go to Captcha and scroll to the IP protection tab.
Here you will find the entries for IP blocks and IP protocols.
IP blocking
All IP addresses that have been blocked are saved in the IP blocks section. Click Delete all to release the IP addresses.
IP protocols
All IP addresses that have been verified as spam at least once are saved in the IP logs section. Click Delete all to release the IP addresses.
Article from:
Marc Wagner
Hi Marc here. I’m the founder of Forge12 Interactive and have been passionate about building websites, online stores, applications and SaaS solutions for businesses for over 20 years. Before founding the company, I already worked in publicly listed companies and acquired all kinds of knowledge. Now I want to pass this knowledge on to my customers.
