Google Updates reCaptcha to Make It Easier on Humans, Tougher on Bots

Google on Wednesday announced its new 'NoCaptcha reCaptcha' experience that blocks bots and lets real users pass through to a specific website in a much easier method, whilst also beefing up security as traditional distorted text-based Captchas have been shown to be crackable by bots.

The new reCaptcha system comes as a replacement to the traditional distorted text and number combination Captchas, with a simple check box placed besides the text 'I'm not a bot'. The users would have to simply click on the box to pass through. In addition, for visually impaired users, reCaptcha offers the audio Captcha option.

However, as Google explains, there is a lot more running behind the simple looking check box. As soon as the user checks the new reCaptcha box, Google runs numerous tests using its 'risk analysis engine' to confirm if the user is an actual human being or a bot.

The 'Advanced Risk Analysis' backend tracks how the user reacts before, after and during the reCaptcha process. In an interview with Vinay Shet, Product Manager for noCaptcha, The Next Web learned that the new engine "uses machine learning, that takes a number of strategies and learns what a normal user looks like so that the next time a new one comes along, we know what to look for."

Based on the result, if the engine thinks the users are not human beings, it will again ask them to again fill the Captcha using its traditional Captcha method with distorted letters and numbers. The firm adds that NoCaptcha reCaptcha experience has been optimised for mobile users who previously faced difficulties on a small screen while inserting the text and number combination, instead shows them a bunch of images for matching with a common label.

Google boasts that in order to include the NoCaptcha system, website developers would need to use the new API is said to be only three lines of codes. Details can be seen on the Google's Online Security blog post. The MountainView giant says Snapchat, WordPress, Humble Bundle and more, haves already adopted the Google's new reCaptcha security feature.