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AbuseIPDB

AbuseIPDB is a third-party IP reputation service that helps identify IP addresses associated with abusive activity. WS Form can check a visitor’s IP address against the AbuseIPDB database whenever a form is submitted and use the returned abuse confidence score as the submission’s spam score.

Spam scores range from 0 (low risk) to 100 (high confidence of abuse). On the submissions page, spam scores are shown using the same colored indicators as other WS Form spam protection services:

  • Red – Blatant spam
  • Orange – Possible spam
  • Green – Not considered spam

Each AbuseIPDB check is also recorded as a system note on the submission, including the IP address, abuse confidence score, country, domain, total reports, and the reason a submission was flagged when applicable.

If AbuseIPDB is temporarily unavailable or returns an error, WS Form will still accept the submission. The submission is not blocked solely because the AbuseIPDB request failed.

Get an AbuseIPDB API Key

Before you can use AbuseIPDB with WS Form, you’ll need an AbuseIPDB account and API key.

  1. Create an account at https://www.abuseipdb.com/register.
  2. Copy your AbuseIPDB API key.
  3. In WS Form, go to Settings > Spam Protection > AbuseIPDB.
  4. Paste your API key into the API Key setting.

Configuring AbuseIPDB

Global AbuseIPDB settings are located at:

WS Form > Settings > Spam Protection > AbuseIPDB

API Key

Enter your AbuseIPDB API key to enable AbuseIPDB checks.

If you prefer not to store the API key in the database, it can also be defined using the PHP constant WSF_ABUSEIPDB_API_KEY.

Enable On All Forms

Enable this setting to check submissions against AbuseIPDB on every form.

If this setting is disabled, you can enable AbuseIPDB individually for each form using the form’s Spam settings.

When enabled globally, the form-level Enable setting is locked to show that AbuseIPDB is enabled for all forms.

Bypass If Administrator

This option is enabled by default.

When enabled, AbuseIPDB checks are skipped for users who are signed in as an administrator and can manage WS Form. This is useful while building or testing forms.

If enabled globally, the matching form-level setting is locked.

Abuse Confidence Score

This optional setting accepts a value between 0 and 100.

If you enter a value, any submission whose AbuseIPDB score is equal to or greater than that value is immediately treated as spam on every form. The submission can still be saved by the Database action, but other actions and integrations do not run.

If you leave this setting blank, WS Form uses each form’s Spam Threshold setting instead. The AbuseIPDB score is still recorded on the submission and compared against that form’s threshold to determine whether it should be placed in the submissions spam folder.

Report Window (Days)

Specify how many days of AbuseIPDB reports should be considered when checking an IP address.

The default value is 30 days. Valid values are between 1 and 365.

Country Blocklist

Select one or more countries to block.

If a visitor’s IP address is associated with a blocked country, the submission is treated as maximum spam regardless of its AbuseIPDB score. The submission can still be saved by the Database action, but other actions and integrations do not run.

The system note records the flagged reason as Country blocklist.

Domain Blocklist

Enter one or more domains separated by commas or new lines.

For example:

example.com

Domain matching is suffix-aware, so entering example.com also matches domains such as subdomain.example.com.

If the visitor’s IP address matches a blocked domain, the submission is treated as maximum spam regardless of its AbuseIPDB score. The submission can still be saved by the Database action, but other actions and integrations do not run.

The system note records the flagged reason as Domain blocklist.

Report Spam To AbuseIPDB

Enable this setting if you want WS Form to report spam submissions back to AbuseIPDB as web spam.

Each submission is reported only once. When the report is successful, a system note is added to the submission confirming that the IP address was reported.

Enabling AbuseIPDB on a Form

If Enable On All Forms is not enabled globally, you can enable AbuseIPDB for individual forms.

  1. Open the form in the layout editor.
  2. Click the Settings icon at the top of the layout editor.
  3. Click the Spam tab.
  4. Locate the AbuseIPDB section in the sidebar.
  5. Enable Enable.

If an API key has not yet been configured, the sidebar displays instructions to configure your API key under Settings > Spam Protection > AbuseIPDB, then enable protection for the current form or for all forms.

Per-Form Settings

Enable

Enable this option to check submissions against the AbuseIPDB IP reputation database.

If Enable On All Forms is enabled globally, this setting is locked.

Bypass If Administrator

This option is enabled by default.

When enabled, AbuseIPDB checks are skipped while you are signed in as an administrator.

If the global Bypass If Administrator setting is enabled, this option is locked.

Spam Threshold

The form’s Spam Threshold setting is used when the global Abuse Confidence Score setting is left blank.

Submissions receive a spam score between 0 and 100. If the AbuseIPDB score meets or exceeds the form’s Spam Threshold, the submission is placed in the submissions spam folder.

How AbuseIPDB Spam Checking Works

When a submission is received, WS Form performs the following checks:

  1. Gets the visitor’s IP address and checks it with AbuseIPDB using the configured report window.
  2. Receives the abuse confidence score and related information such as the country, domain, and total reports.
  3. Records the result as a system note on the submission.
  4. If the visitor’s country appears in the Country Blocklist, the submission is treated as spam and other actions and integrations do not run.
  5. Otherwise, if the visitor’s domain appears in the Domain Blocklist, the submission is treated as spam and other actions and integrations do not run.
  6. Otherwise, if a global Abuse Confidence Score has been configured and the returned score meets or exceeds it, the submission is treated as spam and other actions and integrations do not run.
  7. If no global Abuse Confidence Score has been configured, the returned score is compared with the form’s Spam Threshold to determine whether the submission should be placed in the submissions spam folder.

Tip

During development, leave Bypass If Administrator enabled so you can test your forms without your own submissions being checked by AbuseIPDB.