Huh? We Never Would Have Guessed What 'CAPTCHA' Actually Stands For
"CAPTCHA" is one of those terms that most of us have heard of or have seen while surfing the World Wide Web. While it may be known for providing a sense of safety where cyber security is concerned, it can be pretty confusing as well. For starters, what does it even stand for? We'll share everything to know about CAPTCHA's meaning below.
Whether you've been trying to buy tickets for an upcoming show and keep failing the security check, or you're simply familiar with the word and want to understand it a bit more, here's what Internet users should all know about this particular authentication feature that shows up in our browsers. From examples of CAPTCHA to the difference between CAPTCHA and reCAPTCHA, we've got it all.
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What Does CAPTCHA Stand For?
CAPTCHA stands for "Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart," according to Google Support. (I'll bet you didn't guess that on your first try!)
What Is CAPTCHA, Exactly?
Although the description above provides some explanation, Google Support elaborates on CAPTCHA's meaning, saying it's "a type of security measure known as challenge-response authentication. CAPTCHA helps protect you from spam and password decryption by asking you to complete a simple test that proves you are human and not a computer trying to break into a password protected account."
You might be more familiar with the sentence—or, declaration—that accompanies this security measure: "I'm not a robot."
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What Is a CAPTCHA Example?
Sometimes, CAPTCHA will ask you to type in the answer to a math problem. It might say something like "5+4" and have you fill in the correct response to the box.
Other times, it will show you photos and ask you to select all of the images that contain a street sign, for example.
CAPTCHA can also show you a series of numbers and letters—some italicized or at an angle, others that are heavily shadowed, some with a strikethrough, etc.—and ask you to type the sequence of characters into an empty text box.
How Do You Enter CAPTCHA Correctly?
The goal is to prove that you're not a robot, so if you follow the prompt of the CAPTCHA and either type in the characters exactly as they appear to your non-robot eyes, answer the math question correctly or select the right grid squares in the photo, you should be able to pass the test.
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What Happens When You Fail a CAPTCHA?
A CAPTCHA error can happen if you type in an incorrect answer, or select the wrong squares in a photo prompt (again, it might ask you to do something like select the photos that feature a street sign or other item).
Once this happens, it should give you another prompt or test to prove that you're not a robot.
What Is reCAPTCHA?
According to Google Support, "reCAPTCHA is a free service from Google that helps protect websites from spam and abuse[...] By adding reCAPTCHA to a site, you can block automated software while helping your welcome users to enter with ease."