…that you must type in the letters which you see in a nearby window, and when done accurately, you are then allowed to post?
I think these devices(?) are used to defeat bots from invading the message board.
Soon to be replaced by new SDMB-inspired technology, the GOTCHAYA.
Thanks, friedo.
Dopers- if you think friedo’s pulling your leg (about CAPTCHA, that is), click on the link. it’s rather interesting.
When I log in to my Bank of America account, I have to give a username, which then takes me to a “Site Key” which is a picture I must recognize, then enter my passkey to get into my account. Is this picture a form of “CAPTCHA”? If so, how does it work?
No, that’s not a CAPTCHA, it’s just a horrendously stoopid method of trying to save people from phishing attacks, whereby a fraudulant spam email provides a form that looks like your bank’s form for you to enter all your juicy bank details into.
This method is stoopid because if your average user is already fooled by the fake form, they will just follow the instructions therein, and the fake one won’t ask them to identify a picture. Only a very small percentage of people remember that they’re supposed to look at a picture in the first place, and this percentage is highly correlated to the group that doesn’t fall for phishing attacks.
No, this is to make “your” login screen unique to you, as a deterrent to phishing. Since every user has a unique to them login screen, and only BofA knows that information, a generic login screen used by a phisherman will look wrong. A CAPTCHA is used only to allow a human to establish that she is not a machine.
Thanks, friedo , kevbo , that clears thing up.