The "power by vbulletin" footer is a trouble maker

[Easyskillz]

Hello,

I have lately been hacked around 3 times by people who simply scan from vbulletin forums then find 777 permission folders and then upload Paypal or other kind of scams into it ...i have received threats by Enom and other big company names that are threatning to shut down my site if i don't find a solution for this...

I have made all the necessary cleanups and folder permissions changes to secure my site but since i am not a pro at this ..Im still afraid someone will hack into it again.

This is also a warning for all of you who do not pay attention to small security holes ...


Is there a way to hide the "power by vbulletin " and version from the search engines ???

[Jake Bunce]

Is there a way to hide the "power by vbulletin " and version from the search engines ???

Nope. That text must remain according to the license agreement. But you can purchase the branding free option for $170 if you want to remove it.

Here are some security tips to help prevent this in the future:

http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/showthread.php?t=194701

[dieKetzer]

vb even do further disservice forcing the version number to be shared will everyone as well.
i have always hated this aspect of the forced branding.

[Zachery]

vb even do further disservice forcing the version number to be shared will everyone as well.
i have always hated this aspect of the forced branding.

Nothing forces you to keep the version number in the footer. However security by obsecurity is not security at all.

[fufu]

How many threads have been created for the "powered by vBulletin" footer, expecially removing the version number from the bottom? Answer: countless.

LISTEN TO THE PEOPLE WHO PAY YOU!

[Zachery]

fufu, I do not have any control over this, just simply stating the facts and my view.

[anthonyparsons]

Is there a way to hide the "power by vbulletin " and version from the search engines ???

Yes there is without breaching the license of vBulletin (to my knowledge). I actually run an image footer for my theme, and vBulletin did just recently review my site and informed me I only had to add the "powered by & date range" back onto the image, which I have done, was checked and ok'd by vBulletin. I get no issues from pesky search engines showing my site under vBulletin searches. Obviously also removed the vBulletin from the relevant page titles.

The way I did my own was basically one way for me to get all the copyrights into the footer without having such a large footer with copyright info all over it from software developers that require it, then my own for content obviously.

Change it to an image instead. Same info, just on a footer image in lieu. This will stop search engines being able to read the text.

[Easyskillz]

Thanks Anthony for the tip. Will proceed to doing that if it's ok by Vbulletin STaff like you said.

[James Birkett]

I thought you were allowed to remove your version number from vBulletin footers? I believe you are also allowed to remove the "Powered by vBulletin" from the page title. The footer information, do what Anthony said and put the information onto an image then use an image.

[mentalrz]

Just removed the version from my footer, never thought about that before.

[blueanjel]

Yes there is without breaching the license of vBulletin (to my knowledge). I actually run an image footer for my theme, and vBulletin did just recently review my site and informed me I only had to add the "powered by & date range" back onto the image, which I have done, was checked and ok'd by vBulletin. I get no issues from pesky search engines showing my site under vBulletin searches. Obviously also removed the vBulletin from the relevant page titles.

The way I did my own was basically one way for me to get all the copyrights into the footer without having such a large footer with copyright info all over it from software developers that require it, then my own for content obviously.

Change it to an image instead. Same info, just on a footer image in lieu. This will stop search engines being able to read the text.

would like to add the copyright text and other text onto an image also, how do i change the code to add image instead of the copyright text, as i would like to add other text to the image too?

thanks for any help

$ad_location[ad_footer_start]
<br />
<div class="smallfont" align="center">$vbphrase[all_times_are_gmt_x_time_now_is_y]</div>
<br />
$spacer_close
<!-- /content area table -->
<form action="$vboptions[forumhome].php" method="get" style="clear:$stylevar[left]">
<table cellpadding="$stylevar[cellpadding]" cellspacing="0" border="0" width="$stylevar[outertablewidth]" class="page" align="center">
<tr>
 <if condition="$show['quickchooser']">
  <td class="tfoot">
   <select name="styleid" onchange="switch_id(this, 'style')">
    <optgroup label="$vbphrase[quick_style_chooser]">
     $quickchooserbits
    </optgroup>
   </select>
  </td>
 </if>
 <if condition="$show['languagechooser']">
  <td class="tfoot">
   <select name="langid" onchange="switch_id(this, 'lang')">
    <optgroup label="$vbphrase[quick_language_chooser]">
     $languagechooserbits
    </optgroup>
   </select>
  </td>
 </if>
 <td class="tfoot" align="$stylevar[right]" width="100%">
  <div class="smallfont">
   <strong>
    <if condition="$show['contactus']"><a href="$vboptions[contactuslink]" rel="nofollow" accesskey="9">$vbphrase[contact_us]</a> -</if>
    <if condition="$vboptions['hometitle']"><a href="$vboptions[homeurl]">$vboptions[hometitle]</a> -</if>
    <if condition="$show['admincplink']"><a href="$admincpdir/index.php$session[sessionurl_q]">$vbphrase[admin]</a> -</if>
    <if condition="$show['modcplink']"><a href="$modcpdir/index.php$session[sessionurl_q]">$vbphrase[mod]</a> -</if>
    <if condition="$vboptions['archiveenabled']"><a href="archive/index.php">$vbphrase[archive]</a> -</if>
    $template_hook[footer_links]
    <if condition="$vboptions[privacyurl]"><a href="$vboptions[privacyurl]">$vbphrase[privacy_statement]</a> -</if>
    <if condition="$vboptions[tosurl]"><a href="$vboptions[tosurl]">$vbphrase[terms_of_service]</a> -</if>
    <a href="#top" onclick="self.scrollTo(0, 0); return false;">$vbphrase[top]</a>
   </strong>
  </div>
 </td>
</tr>
</table>
<br />
<div align="center">
 <div class="smallfont" align="center">
 <!-- Do not remove this copyright notice -->
 $vbphrase[powered_by_vbulletin]
 <!-- Do not remove this copyright notice -->
 </div>
 <div class="smallfont" align="center">
 <!-- Do not remove cronimage or your scheduled tasks will cease to function -->
 $cronimage
 <!-- Do not remove cronimage or your scheduled tasks will cease to function -->
 $vboptions[copyrighttext]
 </div>
</div>
</form>
$ad_location[ad_footer_end]
<if condition="$show['dst_correction']">
<!-- auto DST correction code -->
<form action="profile.php?do=dst" method="post" name="dstform">
 <input type="hidden" name="s" value="$session[sessionhash]" />
 <input type="hidden" name="securitytoken" value="$bbuserinfo[securitytoken]" />
 <input type="hidden" name="do" value="dst" />
</form>
<script type="text/javascript">
<!--
 var tzOffset = $bbuserinfo[timezoneoffset] + $bbuserinfo[dstonoff];
 var utcOffset = new Date().getTimezoneOffset() / 60;
 if (Math.abs(tzOffset + utcOffset) == 1)
 { // Dst offset is 1 so its changed
  document.forms.dstform.submit();
 }
//-->
</script>
<!-- / auto DST correction code -->
</if>
<script type="text/javascript">
<!--
 // Main vBulletin Javascript Initialization
 vBulletin_init();
//-->
</script>

[Trevor Hannant]

Replace the following with a link to your image:

 <div class="smallfont" align="center">
 <!-- Do not remove this copyright notice -->
 $vbphrase[powered_by_vbulletin]
 <!-- Do not remove this copyright notice -->
 </div>

[ChopSuey]

You can remove the version number from the footer.

[voomies]

I replaced the copyright code. But my site isn't taking the image. what am I doing wrong?

[blueanjel]

Replace the following with a link to your image:

<div class="smallfont" align="center">
<!-- Do not remove this copyright notice -->
$vbphrase[powered_by_vbulletin]
<!-- Do not remove this copyright notice -->
</div>

yes, i understand that part, but do i need to edit any phrase or anything

also, how do i define the link? would it be <div, <div class or <a href, not a coder

any help would be appreciated