//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
// Randem Systems "BotBanishClient" Installation Instructions ver 9.x
// SMF mod package for use with the Simple Machines Forum version 2.1.x, PHP, mySQL & Apache
// For more information and support.
//
// Author - Randem (http://www.simplemachines.org/community/index.php?action=profile;u=384160)
//
// BotBanish Website: https://botbanish.com
// BotBanish Support: https://randemsystems.support/index.php#c18
// Release History: https://randemsystems.support/botbanish-release-history/
// Date: 03/24/2026
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

* * * WARNING * * *

	BotBanish is designed to modify your root and SMF .htaccess file. Upon installation, BotBanish will automatically create a backup of your existing .htaccess, SSI.php 
	and index.php files as well as the Source and Themes folders and the setting table for recovery. As a best practice, it is recommended to allow the BotBanish entries
	to stay at the beginning of the .htaccess file to offer full protection. BotBnish offers an interface exclusively accessible only to administrators.

* * * * * * * * * *

BotBanish Firewall Client: A Robust, Cutting-Edge Solution for Superior Network Protection:

BotBanishClient is a sophisticated software solution designed to safeguard your digital infrastructure. It diligently monitors bot and user activity, effectively identifying and mitigating malicious attempts to compromise your system. This entails thwarting brute force attacks, preventing the creation of illegitimate user accounts, and detecting vulnerabilities that could be exploited. Furthermore, BotBanishClient provides a robust defense against Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, curtails unauthorized data extraction, and prevents bandwidth exploitation, ensuring comprehensive protection for your website from a multitude of cyber threats.

How BotBanish Works:

	BotBanish continuously monitors every attempt to access the system, identifying specific URL phrases indicative of attempts to exploit vulnerabilities.
	Upon detecting such activity, BotBanish swiftly responds by updating the .htaccess file to block the offending IP address, preventing further attacks from that source.
	Recognizing that IP addresses can be dynamic, this proactive measure may inadvertently block legitimate users. To address this, it is recommended to establish a
	clear process for users to contact the system administrator and request an unblock should they be affected by a shifted IP previously associated with a malicious entity.
	System administrators can then promptly remove the IP address from the BotBanish blacklist. For lasting protection, legitimate IP addresses should be added to the BotBanish whitelist, ensuring uninterrupted access. To unblock an IP, administrators simply need to remove the entry from the BotBanish blacklist.

Uses:

	BotBanish seamlessly integrates providing automatic detection and termination of bots identified as malicious or counterfeit users.
	BotBanish efficiently logs such incidents for administrative review. By continuously monitoring and restricting access to unauthorized entities,
	BotBanish enhances system security without burdening resources, a proactive measure allowing your website to focus on performance rather than
	defense against repetitive bot incursions. For optimal functionality, please ensure that the following line is removed from your
	.htaccess file as it may disrupt the processing of user agents:

	RewriteCond %{HTTP_USER_AGENT} ^(.+)$

Limitations:

    This software is exclusively engineered for the PHP, MySQL, and Apache environments. It is optimized for PHP 8.1.x, Apache 2.4.x, and MySQL 5.7.x,
	ensuring peak performance and stability. To maintain compatibility, the minimum required versions are PHP 7.4.x, Apache 2.2.x, and MySQL 5.6.x.

Analytics:

    BotBanish meticulously gathers data on visitor interactions, tracking page views and file downloads from your website.
	Access these valuable insights by choosing 'Analytics' from the BotBanish dashboard. For optimal analytical performance, we recommend utilizing SEO-friendly URLs.
	
Installation Instructions:

	Installs via the Package Manager that is included with the SMF software.

	Available Settings are only visible to an administrator and can only be changed by an administrator at the main menu selection BotBanish->Settings

	The default message delivery system in BotBanish for SMF is the error log file. You can change this to send emails whenever BotBanish
	needs to notify the administrator by changing the defined value in the Settings section.

	This package makes a change to the default theme (Packages.template, index.template and Register.template) which may not be applied properly with other themes
	and would need to be applied manually. The change on installation in other themes can be ignored but the BOT detection on the login / registration
	pages will not work on those ignored themes.

	If the install has errors it may be due to another MOD making changes to lines in the system files that BotBanish needs
	to find in order to make its changes. If this is the case please let us know which MODS that you have installed so that we
	can hopefully modify the BotBanish MOD to avoid the lines that those MODS are using. A screen print of the MODS in the
	Package Manager should help. Please post the information in our support forum at https://randemsystems.com/support/
	in the BotBanish section.
	
Languages:

    BotBanish is presently equipped to offer support in these languages:

	English
	French
	German
	Italian
	Portuguese
	Spanish
	Swedish

Before installing the new version, it is imperative to uninstall the previous version. Rest assured, no functionality will be compromised,
provided you opt not to remove data during the uninstall process.
