Version 1.9.9.9.1

I saw this today too on most of my sites. This is actually a fairly common problem with updates to this plugin — one reason why I have disabled automatic updates throughout. I also use WP Super Cache.

Here is what seems to work for me:

1) Disable the plugin.
2) Delete the cache from the admin settings for WP Super Cache.
3) Reactivate the plugin.

If you are using a different caching plugin, I’d suggest the same thing. Same deal if you have Cloudflare – depending on configuration you might need to purge cache there as well.

One of the reasons that SpamShield is so effective against spam is that it is a blunt instrument, requiring loading of specific javascript in order for visitors to post comments or submit to comment forms. So that eliminates most spam coming from bots. But the problem is that when the plugin updates, the javascript changes but the older script gets loaded from cache – and then there is a mismatch which causes the plugin to throw off that error message.

So basically that is something that can be fixed, but it needs to be tested with every update. For me it is a problem with posting comments and also on sites using Contact Form 7.

Hi @kennychw,

Version 1.9.9.9.1 does not work with Contact Form 7 as it caused JavaScript errors.

I’m sorry to hear that you had this issue. However we did not change anything in this version that would cause issues for Contact Form 7. Everything is working fine with the forms on our site.

Our support system keeps detailed logs of failed support requests, and I checked these thoroughly. I did not see any support requests (failed or otherwise) from someone named Kenny in the last 24 hours. If you got blocked, it would have been for other reasons.

There was one that had over 15 attempts in a short period of time…this would be seen by the system as brute force, and blocked for a period of time. In general, if a site does not accept your submission after a 2 or 3 times, don’t keep trying, as you might get locked out. Come back later, after a few hours, and try again. Just be sure to follow the warning messages if you get one, and you should be fine.

We did see one that was blocked that used a disposable email address. Most disposable email addresses are all blocked by WP-SpamShield as they tend to be heavily used by spammers. That wouldn’t have anything to do with JavaScript though, and would not have been new to this update.

None of the support requests that came in today (or incomplete requests in the log) mentioned anything about Contact Form 7. So unfortunately, you’re not giving us much to work with here.

If you would, please visit our support page, and submit a fresh support request. I’ll be monitoring it, and if I see one come in, even if it isn’t completed, I’ll reach out and help you out.

I hope this information helps! Take care. ??

– Scott

Hi @abigailm,

I see that you responding to our reviews and support requests is becoming a regular thing, as this is the third or fourth time now. That’s actually not a very nice thing to do.

I’m going to ask that you not jump in on our reviews and support threads to offer “support” to other users, as you’re not affiliated with the plugin, and the information you’re providing is inaccurate/confusing to other users. You appear to have a single agenda that you want to get across, as you are being quite persistent about posting negative info. To be honest, it seems a bit like trolling.

While you are correct that an uncleared cache plugin could cause an issue, the rest of your response was not accurate, because if the cache plugin is set up correctly, manual intervention is not necessary.

One of the reasons that SpamShield is so effective against spam is that it is a blunt instrument, requiring loading of specific javascript in order for visitors to post comments or submit to comment forms.

I’m not sure why you would say this at all. To say that it is a blunt instrument is far from the truth. This plugin is quite sophisticated, and has over 100 filters.

So that eliminates most spam coming from bots.

The plugin stops 100% of spam from bots, and most spam from humans.

But the problem is that when the plugin updates, the javascript changes but the older script gets loaded from cache – and then there is a mismatch which causes the plugin to throw off that error message.

Not if your cache settings are even remotely set up properly. Most popular cache plugins, out-of-the-box would not have this issue. The only way you would have this problem is if you have your cache expiration times waaaayyyyy too long.

So basically that is something that can be fixed, but it needs to be tested with every update.

Again, I’m sorry but this simply is not accurate either. These types of statements are just plain negative, and are not helpful.

So, if you have any particular issues, please contact us directly, and we will be happy to help you. (We’ve said this before, many, many times to you.) But please don’t do it indirectly by jumping on other user’s reviews and support threads. I know you say you just want to help, but, that doesn’t seem to actually be true, as you’ve been doing it for quite a while now.

Thank you.

– Scott

(To anyone else reading this, I apologize if my response to @abigailm seems impolite, but this is a situation with a user that we have been dealing with for quite some time now.)

I have WP Super Cache configured with default options. If there is a different set of options that should be used with SpamShield, perhaps you would be kind enough to post that information here.

Your own support documents at your site reference the javascript error and advise clearing the cache.

If your users experience any issues, for example, they can’t comment or register, or they get a JavaScript and Cookies error, try to do a test comment or registration. If the issue remains, then clear the caching plugin’s cache, and your browser cache, and see if the issue is resolved.

From: https://www.redsandmarketing.com/plugins/wp-spamshield/support/

@kennychw posted that he had tried unsuccessfully to use your site support form but experienced the same error on your site form that he say on his Contact form that I saw on several of my sites with the most recent upgrade, both with the comment function and with Contact Form 7. Since I spent about an hour today figuring out the most efficient way to fix the problem and complete upgrades on my sites, I shared my solution. The only part I’ve added is the step of deactivating & reactivating the plugin, because merely clearing the cache without that step doesn’t seem to work for me.

I notice you haven’t offered him any alternative solution or troubleshooting tips, but rather responded by arguing with him about his problem with the support form on your site.

And I subscribe to many WordPress support threads for plugins and themes that I use. You are the only developer I have encountered in the 6 years I have been using these forums that seems to have a problem with that.

@abigailm,

You’re being quite unfriendly.

I have WP Super Cache configured with default options. If there is a different set of options that should be used with SpamShield, perhaps you would be kind enough to post that information here.

If you’re having the issues that you claim to be having, then that can’t be true. We’ve been through this whole routine before though, so let’s just stop all that.

You’ve already multiple times that you don’t want to cooperate with our support process. We have an effective support process that most users absolutely love. If you don’t want to cooperate, that’s up to you.

@kennychw posted that he had tried unsuccessfully to use your site support form but experienced the same error on your site form that he say on his Contact form that I saw on several of my sites with the most recent upgrade, both with the comment function and with Contact Form 7.

The issue had nothing to do with Contact Form 7.

Your own support documents at your site reference the javascript error and advise clearing the cache.

We’ve already clarified that point for you in the past. We’re not going to keep repeating the same things over and over.

Since I spent about an hour today figuring out the most efficient way to fix the problem and complete upgrades on my sites, I shared my solution.

You could have reduced all of that to 15 minutes instead of an hour if you had simply contacted our support team. As we’ve said many times, we are happy to help you fix that.

And I subscribe to many WordPress support threads for plugins and themes that I use. You are the only developer I have encountered in the 6 years I have been using these forums that seems to have a problem with that.

Perhaps we’re the only ones that you’re trolling.

The reviews are an odd thing to subscribe to…that requires a bit of extra work.

Again, I would ask that you stop trolling, because that’s clearly all you’re doing.

– Scott

(Again, to anyone else reading this, I apologize if my reply to @abigailm seems less than cordial, but this is a user who has some history with us, and seems to only want to troll, and has been doing this for quite some time.)

You’ve already multiple times that you don’t want to cooperate with our support process.

No, I told you that I tried to use the form and it generated an error message and would not allow me to submit. Just as the user who started this thread reported.

As far as I can tell there is no alternative

I have experienced this particular form-use problem with SpamShield upgrades (the Javascript/cookie error reported by @kennychw) on multiple sites over an extended period of time, as long as I have been using Spamshield.

I tried an alternative plugin – Anti-Spam at https://www.ads-software.com/plugins/anti-spam/ — but experienced similar issues there. I chose to continue using SpamShield because of other, additional features. I am aware that it appears to be a due to caching plugins on the sites I manage, complicated by the fact that many of my sites are also on Cloudflare — so there are both local and cloud-based caches to worry about.

You could have reduced all of that to 15 minutes instead of an hour if you had simply contacted our support team

You won’t even acknowledge that my problems exist– and I doubt very seriously that I would get a response from a support request within 15 minutes. Additionally your hostility and rudeness to me and to other posters in an open forum makes me very reluctant to communicate with you privately. As I have posted before I have no interest whatsoever in debating you.

The reviews are an odd thing to subscribe to…that requires a bit of extra work.

I have never subscribed to the reviews, just the support thread at this page — https://www.ads-software.com/support/plugin/wp-spamshield/

Subscribing to the support threads on wordpress does also seem to automatically include the reviews but I can’t figure out how to unsubscribe from those, so generally I just delete emails that appear from the subject to be reviews. However, I can’t tell the source of any WordPress email from subject headers – they all just contain the identical notation: [www.ads-software.com Forums] – and I filter on that. I can’t even tell before I read the emails which plugin or theme they are referencing — though obviously I knew from the subject for this particular thread (“Version 1.9.9.9.1”) that it was this plugin, as no other plugin I use has such a long chain of versioning digits, and I had completed the upgrade to this version on the same day as I saw the topic.

I do stay alert to emails that make specific reference to new version upgrades to plugins and themes as a way of keeping informed about specific problems I might otherwise not become aware of– and I also do regularly contribute to threads when I am experiencing or have experienced similar problems and have information or suggestions to contribute.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 11 months ago by Abigailm.

@abigailm

No, I told you that I tried to use the form and it generated an error message and would not allow me to submit.

Again, as I’ve already stated previously. That is patently false, and you know this. Say what you like, but data does not lie.

You have contacted us multiple times in the past, and your requests got through. Our tech support team responded to you via email, and each time you have stated that you just wanted “report an issue” and you refused to participate in the support process. I’ll be happy to forward you the email threads if you don’t remember.

I might otherwise not become aware of– and I also do regularly contribute to threads when I am experiencing or have experienced similar problems and have information or suggestions to contribute.

You may feel that the issues are similar, but they unfortunately are not, and your advice tends to contradict the advice we would give, and encourage users not to follow our actual support process.

Considering that you continue to do this, and are not respecting our requests to stop, it can only be seen as unfriendly and trolling. So again, please stop.

– Scott

(Again, to anyone else reading this, I apologize if my reply to @abigailm seems less than cordial, but this is a user who has some history with us, and seems to only want to troll, and has been doing this for quite some time.)