MSc IT - Web Development with PHP

CAPTCHA (Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart) is a security mechanism that helps distinguish between human users and automated bots on websites.

It's important because it prevents malicious automated programs from abusing web services like creating fake accounts, spamming forms, brute-forcing passwords, and scraping sensitive data. By presenting challenges that are easy for humans but difficult for computers (like reading distorted text, identifying images, or solving simple puzzles),

CAPTCHA protects websites from automated attacks while allowing legitimate users to access services normally. This security measure is essential for maintaining website integrity, preventing spam, reducing server load from bot traffic, and protecting user accounts from automated hacking attempts. Without CAPTCHA, websites would be vulnerable to various automated threats that could compromise security, degrade user experience, and increase operational costs.