My country blocked

  • Resolved kwmarket

    (@kwmarket)


    9 years, 1 month ago

    Hi, I’ve checked a lot of things and it seems like my site blocked my country. I when i go to the url, I see ‘you have been banned’. A few things to note:

    1. I can access admin and cpanel.
    2. I contacted my hosting, they said they didnt block anything
    3. I disabled all plugins to check and it still doesnt work
    4. Website works in other countries
    5. I’ve tried accessing my site with different IP’s in my country and different computers, browsers, phone, etc and it shows the ban.
    6. I used to be able to access my site with no problems. Scans show no malware, etc.
    7. There is no IP block in my cpanel.

    Any idea what could be the problem? According to my server hosting, they said it could be a security measure by one of the plugins and they could have added it to one of my files in the database and disabling the plugin wont work. I’m currently using these security plugins:
    1. wordfence (Free version)
    2. WP Site Guardian
    3. Block Bad Queries (BBQ)
    4. BulletProof Security
    5. AntiVirus
    6. Anti-Malware Security and Brute-Force Firewall

    All added by a developer who cleared a malware I had a while back. The site has been secured since then but no idea why i’m suddenly blocked out of the site.

Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 15 total)
  • Moderator James Huff

    (@macmanx)

    9 years, 1 month ago

    It could be one of the security plugins.

    Try manually resetting your plugins (no Dashboard access required). If that resolves the issue, reactivate each one individually until you find the cause.

    Thread Starter kwmarket

    (@kwmarket)

    9 years, 1 month ago

    Hey James, it’s not that. I can access my dashboard. And I’ve deactivated all plugins to check.

    Thanks!

    Moderator James Huff

    (@macmanx)

    9 years, 1 month ago

    Oh, weird. Ok, so you can access your Dashboard, but not the site? That’s very odd, I just glossed over that because it’s so odd.

    When you access the site itself and see the “banned” notice, is anything recorded in your server error log for that specific date and time?

    Thread Starter kwmarket

    (@kwmarket)

    9 years, 1 month ago

    Nothing is recorded. Yeah it’s really weird.dashboard and cpanel is accessible.

    I can’t access the site as a guest from a different ip/ device/ browser from my country, Malaysia. Outside malaysia is fine.

    Moderator James Huff

    (@macmanx)

    9 years, 1 month ago

    Are you running through any security reverse-proxies, like Cloudflare or Sucuri?

    Thread Starter kwmarket

    (@kwmarket)

    9 years, 1 month ago

    I’m using cloudflare for speed. I forgot to check on that. It worked fine for a while so it didn’t come to my mind.

    I checked the settings and nothing is blocking countries. What should I be looking for?

    Moderator James Huff

    (@macmanx)

    9 years, 1 month ago

    Would you please providing a screenshot of the error you’re seeing?

    1. Take an image screenshot: http://www.take-a-screenshot.org

    2. Upload it via Media -> Add New in your blog’s Dashboard: https://codex.wordpress.org/Uploading_Files#To_Upload_a_File_for_Later_Use

    3. Click on the file in the Media library.

    4. Copy the File URL to the right.

    5. Reply here with the File URL.

    Thread Starter kwmarket

    (@kwmarket)

    9 years, 1 month ago

    Here it is.
    http://www.selfdevelopmentsecrets.com/wp-content/uploads/Screen-Shot-2017-04-17-at-4.45.52-PM.png

    I open the inspect element as well.

    Moderator James Huff

    (@macmanx)

    9 years, 1 month ago

    Yeah, that’s definitely not Cloudflare. Their’s has significantly more design to it, and of course branding.

    At this point, I have to recommend asking your hosting provider again. It could be something server-level, like mod_security or fail2ban, but either way your hosting provider will have the access necessary to determine where the block is coming from.

    • This reply was modified 9 years, 1 month ago by James Huff.
    Thread Starter kwmarket

    (@kwmarket)

    9 years, 1 month ago

    I need to be a bit more specific if I want to get a different answer. This was their reply when I asked them.

    Hello, Thank you for your reply and your excellent question. Our servers do not block any countries. They do block individual IP addresses if there is an issue with the IP being part of an attack on the server, or failing to log into an email account after a large number of attempts or something potentially malicious. I have checked the IP Block inside your cPanel and it does not appear that any IP addresses are currently blocked using this method. It does appear that blocking an entire country IS something one (or more) of your security plugins has the capability to do. I know that you and our technicians have both deactivated your security plugins and this did not correct the issue, what concerns me is that one (or more) of the security plugins has added this block to one of your site’s files or into the database which will need to be cleared out. Disabling the plugins won’t change any blocks they currently have made if they have made them in the database or in specific website files. Unfortunately as we are not the developers of the plugins in question you will need to contact those plugins’ developers to request assistance on finding and removing any entry that is blocking your IP addresses or Malaysian IP blocks or the country. I apologize that we were unable to solve this for you, this is something that will require your web developer or the assistance of the plugins’ developers to help you find where the block is occurring and how to remove it.

    AITpro

    (@aitpro)

    9 years, 1 month ago

    Go to the BPS plugin > htaccess File Editor page > click the “Your Current Root htaccess File tab” > scroll down in your Root htaccess file and look for any IP address blocking htaccess code. If you find any IP address blocking htaccess code then post it so I can take a look at it.

    To eliminate that the BPS plugin root htaccess file is causing the problem click the BulletProof Security Root BulletProof Mode Deactivate button. By default BPS does not do any blocking by country or any other IP address blocking, but if you have added custom htaccess code or another plugin that you have installed has added IP blocking htaccess code to the BPS Root Custom Code then clicking the Root BulletProof Mode Deactivate button will create a WordPress Default htaccess file that only contains the standard/default WP Rewrite htaccess code. If this works then you need to check all BPS Root Custom Code text boxes for any IP address blocking htaccess code. If you do not see any IP address blocking htaccess code saved in any BPS Root Custom Code text boxes, but you did see IP address blocking htaccess code when you checked your Root htaccess file using the htaccess File Editor then that would mean another plugin you have installed is adding IP address blocking htaccess code in your Root htaccess file.

    Thread Starter kwmarket

    (@kwmarket)

    9 years, 1 month ago

    Go to the BPS plugin > htaccess File Editor page > click the “Your Current Root htaccess File tab” > scroll down in your Root htaccess file and look for any IP address blocking htaccess code. If you find any IP address blocking htaccess code then post it so I can take a look at it.
    – Did that and can’t find any IP’s being blocked.

    I tried deactivating the Security Root BulletProof Mode and looking for blocked IP’s in the htaccess files but nothing. I’m not sure if im doing it wrong but I looked quite thoroughly.

    Something to know as well, I restored the site with a backup i had a few days ago when i could access the site but still banned.

    AITpro

    (@aitpro)

    9 years, 1 month ago

    Hmm ok then if you restored your site from a good backup and the problem is still occurring then that would indicate the problem is “external” to your website. ie your host server itself/host server security measures or something like a WAF or Cloudflare – things that do things externally and not locally (files/website/etc).

    AITpro

    (@aitpro)

    9 years, 1 month ago

    Try something simple first: flush/delete any external cache (Cloudflare) and delete your Browser Cache.

    Thread Starter kwmarket

    (@kwmarket)

    9 years, 1 month ago

    It works! Thanks so so so much @aitpro and @macmanx for the help! I really do appreciate your time 🙂

    I’m not sure exactly what made it work or blocked it but I believe its a combination of all the things you guys said!

    All the best guys!

Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 15 total)

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