Myth-Busting SOP: 'A CAPTCHA on Login Stops Bot Attacks'

Myth-Busting SOP: 'A CAPTCHA on Login Stops Bot Attacks'

CAPTCHA-solving services cost cents per thousand, and credential-stuffing tools route around them. It deters casual scripts, not funded attackers. Build the real stack:

— Step 1: Keep CAPTCHA as friction, but never as the lockout mechanism.
— Step 2: Enforce server-side rate limiting: 5 attempts per IP per 15 minutes on the auth route.
— Step 3: Add account-based lockout so distributed IPs can't bypass the per-IP limit.
— Step 4: Require 2FA — a solved CAPTCHA still doesn't deliver the second factor.
— Step 5: Verify by scripting 50 logins from rotating IPs — lockout and 2FA should hold even if the CAPTCHA is solved.

CAPTCHA slows bots; lockout and 2FA stop them. Run this every time.