I’m sure that suggestions have already been made on how to tighten up on user profiles and security here. But, anyway, here’s my tuppence-worth:
When registering, a password is automatically generated and emailed to your specified email address. You can change it at a later date via your user profile.
Email addresses can not be changed by the user. Changes have to be requested in an email to one of the mods (or possibly a web-based email account which all mods have access to).
I know it may mean more work for the mods, but if it could reduce the amount of trolls, there may fewer threads to close, posts to delete or posters to ban. Hopefully.
Obvious flaws?
You can still register via a web-based email account and use that to receive any password. I don’t think there’s any way around that; I doubt it’s even possible to ban every web-based email provider. Would the board software support this kind of idea?
I think that’s too much work for the administrators. I personally would propose that if you change your e-mail address, the password also gets changed and a new random password is e-mailed to the new address.
Tengu: I get the impression that the people that coded vBulletin started with an older release of UBB.
CatsPaw: the changes would prevent you from puttin an invalid e-mail address in your profile (i.e. one that doesn’t work or to which you don’t have access.)
–Okay, okay. For your 8 minute troll record and Lynn’s comment that Tuba is the lobbying force behind increased security…Chocolate headed for Tuba, too.
You think I’m kidding.