HIPAA
HIPAA-ready when deployed inside your secured environment.
Scope
SCaptcha does not require PHI to function and can be used in HIPAA environments. You remain responsible for access controls, auditability, and HIPAA compliance.
This page maps SCaptcha 2.3.0 behavior to the named framework. It is not a certification or legal advice.
No PHI required
SCaptcha does not need protected health information to verify users. Keep PHI out of CAPTCHA fields and logs.
Proof-of-Work and behavior checks are computational and can run without identifiers.
Self-hosted boundary
Verification stays inside your infrastructure and does not require external CAPTCHA providers.
Optional proxy intelligence is disabled by default. If enabled, review it under your HIPAA risk assessment.
Auditability and access controls
Request logs can support audit trails when access is restricted to authorized staff.
Align retention and access controls with your HIPAA policies and document any support access separately.
Implementation checklist
Use TLS everywhere, limit access to analytics and logs, and avoid storing PHI in security data.
If you require managed access or external support, execute separate agreements defining scope and safeguards.
SCaptcha 2.3.0 behavior
Each challenge uses its own cryptographically random 32-byte salt. Your WoltLab installation validates the salt, hash, algorithm, answer, and HMAC against the issuing session. The challenge expires after 60 seconds and does not require an external CAPTCHA provider.
This option is off by default. If you enable it, SCaptcha sends the visitor's public IP address to proxycheck.io for proxy, VPN, or Tor evidence. SCaptcha 2.3.0 sends tag=0 by default; administrators can opt in to provider logging. The IP address is transmitted for every lookup either way.
A pre-submit marker and the optional text/audio proof are valid for 5 minutes. Under-Attack mode uses a signed, user-agent-bound access cookie for 5 to 30 minutes; the default is 10. Sentinel can store a server-side rejection in a separate signed cookie for 10 minutes. Sentinel itself is off by default.
Request analytics are on by default. Logs can contain linkable operational data, including IP address, user agent, request, network and location fields, reasons, and submitted browser telemetry. Retention defaults to 90 days and can be set from 1 to 3,650 days. Turning analytics off stops new collection but does not erase existing rows or exports.
What operators need to review
Document enabled features, limit access to security logs, and assess optional external services separately. SCaptcha does not replace legal review or accessibility testing of the complete website.
Enable only the options you need. Update privacy and cookie notices, restrict access to analytics and logs, and test the actual form integration before launch.