Mozilla Software → [Firefox] reCAPTCHA problems on Fx 35

It is impossible to read the Captchas for a forum (tenforums) I wanted to join if using Fx 35. I went through over 50 and could not even begin to guess at what they were. I tried guessing for many of them and was wrong every time. I tried listening and that produced static only. I was going to email the site about the problem but recaptcha2 is required to even send an email to the site admins! Geez...

Anyhow, I finally tried with IE 10 and could read the second one I tried. I tried more and could read about 7 out of 10 (or at least attempt a reasonable guess). I tried listening with IE and got no static but very distorted voice so I couldn't understand it. I got registered using IE.

Then I decided to see if other Fx versions and SeaMonkey were also horrible for reading captchas. Nope. Fx 31.4 ESR and SeaMonkey 2.32 were like IE. Pale Moon was like IE also. It looks to me that Fx 35 is using a different version of recaptcha from what the other browsers use. Why would that be? The browsers are all up to date so why wouldn't they use the same recaptcha version?

I couldn't listen and understand on any browser. I have good speakers and no problems with audio other than this one.

if you can, file a bug-report, regarding the issue with the captcha's..

i haven't noticed the issue with the captcha's, with FF 35, since i probably have only had to deal with them about once, since i started using FF 35..

i absolutely hate having to deal with captcha's.. many times, the letters/numbers in the code are very hard to read, where you have to guess..

the worst case that i have seen was when i was trying to register with the "irfanview" forum.. it took me about 9 guesses before it finally went through..

p.s. i went to "tenforums.com" and registered, and i didn't have a problem with the captcha, there.. the code was relatively easy for me to read..

i am using FF 35.0.1..

I went to their register page, clicked I'm not a robot, and then was able to enter it correctly, verified. All using the latest Firefox. It's a problem of your own creation.

How could it possibly be a problem of my own creation? I don't have the problem anywhere except Fx 35. If it was of my own creation, I should have it on all browsers and I don't.

I even tried a new profile. That did not help. So, there is no way this is of my own creation. Just because you don't like me doesn't make it right for you to make wild accusations.

What about listening? Are you claiming that I have deliberately sabotaged my speakers? They are nice speakers from Logitech only two years old. I wanted ones more expensive than the $150 I spent on these but Homeland Security severely restricts what speakers can be shipped to Hawaii so I couldn't get the $550 ones I wanted. So, I doubt there is anytbing wrong with my speakers especially since I have no problems streaming video from the computer onto my Samsung Smart TV but using the computer speakers for the sound. So, how is this my fault?

For your information, my ophthalmologist told me last month that I have perfect eyesight...he said it was amazing for an older person. My hearing has tested as way above average for my age group also. So, I don't know how you can LEGITIMATELY claim the problem to be of my own doing on ONE BROWSER ONLY. (That is being able to type the correct captcha is just on Fx 35. Listening is bad on all browsers but worse on Fx 35 and almost discernible on IE). Maybe the listening problem is because I don't have a sound card? I fully intended to get a really great one as two years ago Creative had just come out (finally) with a really fine sound card, but then when I learned Homeland Security was severely restricting shipment of good computer speaker systems to Hawaii, I decided it wasn't worth spending $150-200 on a sound card since I had to settle for good but not great speakers.

I think it is because ALL OTHER BROWSERS USE AN OLDER recaptcha version. This is confirmed by what I have read. Only Fx 35 is using recaptcha2 at that site. All other browsers have one of the words extremely easy to read EVERY TIME. Just one word is difficult and there is no excessive dark blotches or unusual twists on the hard to read word. On Fx 35, BOTH words are extremely difficult to read and have dark blotches on them making them even more difficult to read.

I tried the tenforums site and with 'CYBER'fox 35.0.1 got the same thing. Unreadable twisted text with black blotches over each word. I then tried 'FIRE'fox 35.0.1 and was able to read two out of 5 tries and there were no big black blobs obscuring the letters on any of them. I'm using an ASUS 17" gaming laptop with Windows 7.
I read elsewhere Google is about ready to give up on 'Captchas' and use something else.

Above is with Firefox 36 beta 4 first try. Didn't go thru with registering as I'm using Linux and didn't want to troll the forums.

 
Looks like blobs of reversed text and background colour.

Mayhaps it's a new style of captcha.

Harder to read, definitely.

Not new... been around for years. Google "recaptcha blobs". Double blob recaptcha became more common in the last year or two. It's a constant quest to defeat captcha OCR services.

I'm just curious why he gets recaptcha blobs and I don't. Maybe the site is detecting a possible higher risk of bot"ness" from the user and making the recaptcha more difficult. Particular IPs maybe? Spoofed browser UAs or IPs. Use of a proxy or VPN. Blocking particular plugin use. I don't know...

[edit]After doing a quick search there is anecdotal evidence that reCaptcha may be detecting proxies or nefarious IPs and serving them with the double blob recaptchas, most others will see normal recaptchas.

»stackoverflow.com/questi ··· us-proxy

I know mele20 uses a proxy, which obfuscates her browser UA, and a Firefox plug-in which spoofs her IP, among other things. Not sure about IndianaGuy...

Weird. I went to that tenforums clicked on the "I'm not a robot" box which caused a spinning animation to occur and then a green checkmark which I guess means success. I didn't see any captcha at all.

FF 35.0.1 on Win 7 Pro 64bit.

The less your browsing acts like a bot, the easier it is.

That is so difficult to read... but I think it says: bumble-bee-tuna?

What you show is what I see on my other browsers and if I don't get it right the first time I do the second or third time so no big deal. What you see looks like reCAPTCHA1 not reCAPTCHA2 that the forum just moved to recently. Maybe you have to be on Windows 8 to get the latest reCAPTCHA2?

Ahaaa...so that is why I couldn't understand the numbers! At first, I was thrown off because I expected the audio to read what was in the reCAPTCHA box but I thought I was hearing extremely distorted numbers and what was in the box was words/letters. I've used the audio for reCAPTCHA before but not in quite while (since I got this computer though) and the audio read me what I was seeing on the reCAPTCHA screen so that is what I expected this time. I tried to type one number which I thought just maybe I had understood the audio but I couldn't enter the number and then I couldn't even guess at the other numbers so it didn't matter I couldn't type it.

What's at Google is VERY EASY to get correct. But that demo is for reCAPTCHA (the oldest of the versions and the easiest for the user). reCAPTCHA1 is newer and harder for the user and reCAPTCHA2 is the very latest version and very difficult for the user (at least for me).

Yep! That's it. It is reCAPTCHA2 ...the latest version of reCAPTCHA and the forum I was trying to join has just moved to it. I can't read what you uploaded either. I can read some of the letters but there is no way I can read the ones with the black blob behind them especially if the curve happens over the black blob and it is a pronounced curve (the two you show the curve is rather mild).

No, I can't use Proxo when recaptchas are involved. I was bypassed...besides I was registering at the site so I was on a secure page and Proxo does not do secure websites/pages at websites by default and I have never added the necessary files to have Proxo filter secure sites. I see it is not a secure page. I guess I thought it was because they want a ton of information (which I didn't provide). But I am certain Proxo was bypassed because I did try the recaptcha with Proxo filtering and just got a little green circle and no captcha until I bypassed Proxo.

The Secret Agent plugin is only installed on Fx 31.4. ESR not on Fx 35 and since Proxo was bypassed the UA should have been correct. Plus, I got the recaptchas you showed when I tried on Fx 31.4 ESR (secret agent was on default so not messing with the UA at that time).

It can't be TWC as a nefarious IP because I had NO problems with all the other browsers and my IP hasn't changed in about two years now. (I have had blocks in the past due to TWC being pissed off at Microsoft but that was about 9-10 years ago).

It must have to do with being on Windows 8 is the only plausible explanation I can think of as to why I get those recaptcha blobs on Fx35.

The site is using the new NoCaptcha ReCaptcha API (aka reCaptcha API2), you can tell since it has the "I'm not a Bot" checkbox. It's not old reCaptcha API vs new reCaptcha2 API. You can check the source code of the pages being served to the different browsers to verify.

Different users get served different images based on risk:
Easiest - NoCaptcha reCaptcha (check the box, no image to verify. What MarkRH saw.)
Easier - reCaptcha house number (pic of a house number from Google Streetview. What SantaFe posted)
Normal - reCaptcha standard (What I posted)
Hard - reCaptcha blob
Hardest - reCaptcha double blob (What IndianGuy posted)

reCaptcha mobile (special cases, I see a version of this on my phone)

»googleonlinesecurity.blo ··· cha.html»googleonlinesecurity.blo ··· -if.htmlSo the higher risk of being a bot Google calculates you to be, the more difficult the reCaptcha image will be.

[edit] I can force which image I see.

With my standard setup, I see the standard reCaptcha image I previously posted.
If I login to my Gmail, I start to see the reCaptcha house numbers.
If change to privacy mode and change my UA, I can force reCaptcha double blobs.

 
You can force it to see you as a greater risk, if/when that suits your test.

That would imply that some other folks could influence it to see THEM as a lesser risk than it currently does, by changing various things at THEIR end.

So, all this to CONFIRM what I said in the beginning. Fx35 is CONSIDERED A RISK. No other browser or browser version is considered a risk. Thus, one should NOT use Fx 35 at sites that require captcha.

This entire thread has been a waste of time as all it has done is confirm what I already knew. Fx 35 cannot be used at tenforums but other versions of Fx, SeaMonkey, IE and Pale Moon can be used as they are not considered a risk.

Wow... You didn't understand anything I wrote or linked to, if that is what you took away from it.

Fx 35 is not the problem as the examples from multiple users throughout the thread demonstrate. Basically the easier it is for Google to ID or track you the easier the captcha image is. How the end user configures the browser and interacts with Google seems to have the biggest effect on that.

Others seem to get it.