Secure forum?
February 22, 2005 5:32 AM   Subscribe

Can any recommend a good, free and, most importantly, secure web-based forum?

I've had it with the security problems with PHPNuke. I just can't keep up. So, I'm thinking of just wiping my site and replacing it with a stand-alone forum. (The forum if the only section of my site that still sees activity anyway.) Can anyone recommend one?
posted by emptybowl to Computers & Internet (7 answers total)
 
I use Phorum. Simple, easy, safe, highly customizable, but looks good out-of-box.
posted by nitsuj at 5:57 AM on February 22, 2005 [1 favorite]


I also recommend MiniBB, because I like simple things.
posted by nitsuj at 5:58 AM on February 22, 2005


There's also Discus
posted by Robot Johnny at 6:24 AM on February 22, 2005


I don't use the forum part, but Geeklog is a great system. It is similar to PHPNuke, but without all of the security issues. I have four installations of it running now, and I've had few problems. The community is very helpful.

They also have a big emphasis on security: Those who have been around Geeklog long enough know the emphasis we put on security. Our roots began in security (Geeklog was created to run a security related website) and we were one of the first open source system in its class to feature a *nix-style permissions system. We believe our commitment to security is why our userbase has grown over the years and that is why we felt it is important to remind everyone in the GL community that the importance security plays has not changed. (From The Geeklog security page)
posted by bh at 7:01 AM on February 22, 2005 [1 favorite]


I use phpBB which I would recommend fairly enthusiastically. Well, it did cause my entire server to get hacked, taking down six ecommerce sites, but that was as I hadn't kept up-to-date with the latest versions.

The new version 2.0.11 is, as far as I know, secure as.
posted by Hartster at 7:13 AM on February 22, 2005


Response by poster: Geeklog looks intriguing, especially since there's some info on their forum about how to convert from PHPNuke to Geeklog. I'm gonna look into that more.
posted by emptybowl at 7:27 AM on February 22, 2005


If security is a goal, be careful with the widely available packages listed here. Like running windows, you have to stay abreast of new developments and patches. Quite a few of my friends have run small BB sites and had their servers hacked when a new exploit came out that they didn't patch in time. People send out bots looking for certain files, so when an exploit gets out, you need to patch asap.

I would suggest if you install something, be sure to join whatever mailing lists they have setup for it, so you'll know about patches.
posted by mathowie at 8:09 AM on February 22, 2005


« Older Laptop recommendations needed.   |   Any suggestions for my email problems? Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.