Explained: What is CAPTCHA?

You may have come across a simple CAPTCHA test while accessing a particular website. For example, when you try to login on a bank's website to avail net banking service, sometimes it asks you to complete a CAPTCHA formality.

But, what exactly is CAPTCHA?

CAPTCHA stands for Completely Automated Public Turing Test to Tell Computers and Humans Apart. It verifies if you're a real person and not a bot, making sure things stay safe and secure online.

CAPTCHAs keep the internet safe simply by using what makes us humans…human! For example, this is more than just the box. It's also noticing where your mouse moves (move finger across) before you click it.

Since humans can recognise patterns and context easily, tests like these help block spam and protect systems from automated attacks.