Cultural CAPTCHAs
Summary: A Krebs on Security post from September 2011 describes how Verified, one of the longest-running Russian-language forums for Internet scammers, began using registration and login CAPTCHAs that quiz users on Russian culture, such as asking for the missing number in "__ moments of spring" (answer: 17, from the 1973 Soviet series Seventeen Moments of Spring). The post notes that such puzzles are meant to frustrate non-native speakers using translation tools, and that commercial CAPTCHA-solving services rely on low-paid workers in China, India and Eastern Europe earning pennies per hour.
Key Takeaway: The same cultural gatekeeping that keeps outsiders off a criminal forum also turns away legitimate users unfamiliar with the culture, and commenters note that a quick Google search for "Russian moments of spring" surfaces the answer 17 anyway - so the barrier is social, not technical.
Read the original at Krebs on Security ↗
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