If cPanel, WHM, webmail or your websites suddenly stop loading from your home or office connection, but work fine on another connection (for example your phone on mobile data), your IP address has most likely been blocked by the server's firewall.
Why does this happen?
Our servers automatically block IP addresses that look like they are attacking the server. This protects your account and every other customer on the server. Common triggers are:
- Too many failed CAPTCHA challenges or login attempts in a short time
- Logging in to many websites or WordPress dashboards at once from the same connection
- Repeated failed logins to email, FTP, cPanel or WordPress (often an email app on a phone or computer with an old saved password)
- A security plugin or script making a large number of requests from your connection
Because everyone on the same connection shares the same public IP address, one device with a bad saved password can block the whole office.
How to get unblocked
- Find your public IP address by searching "what is my IP" on the blocked connection.
- Using a connection that works (such as mobile data), log in to the client area and open a support ticket.
- Include your IP address, the domain or service you were accessing, and roughly what you were doing when access stopped.
We'll check the reason for the block and remove it.
How to avoid being blocked again
- Update the saved password on every device and email app after changing an email or cPanel password.
- When updating lots of sites, work through them a few at a time instead of opening many logins at once.
- Where possible, update WordPress sites in bulk from WP Toolkit in cPanel rather than logging in to each dashboard separately.
- Resellers can log in to client accounts from WHM instead of each account's own login page.
If you manage a large number of sites from a fixed office IP and get blocked regularly, mention this in your ticket and we'll look at the best option for you.
