If you can suddenly no longer access your website, cPanel, DirectAdmin, or webmail from your current device or network, but the site loads fine from a different connection (such as your phone on mobile data), your IP address has most likely been blocked by the server’s firewall.
This is one of the most common support issues and is almost always caused by something on your own network triggering the firewall’s automatic blocking rules, rather than by a server problem.
How to confirm your IP is blocked
- Try accessing your website from your mobile phone with Wi-Fi turned off (using mobile data only). If the site loads, your IP is blocked.
- Try from a different Wi-Fi network. If it loads there but not at home or the office, your IP is blocked.
- Ask a colleague on a different connection to test the same URL. If it loads for them but not for you, your IP is blocked.
What causes an IP to be blocked?
Our servers use an automated firewall (CSF/LFD) that monitors for repeated failed connection attempts. An IP will be blocked automatically if it triggers one of the following within a short time period:
- Too many failed email login attempts (for example, an email client retrying in the background with an incorrect password)
- Too many failed cPanel, DirectAdmin, or FTP login attempts
- Too many failed WordPress admin login attempts
- Automated scanning or port probing activity originating from your IP address
The block is applied automatically and lasts for a set period, after which the IP is released. However, if the underlying cause has not been fixed, the IP will be blocked again shortly after.
How to request an unblock
To have your IP unblocked, raise a support ticket with the following information:
- Your IP address (you can find this by visiting whatismyip.com from the affected connection)
- The domain or server you are trying to access
- Roughly when the issue started
How to prevent it happening again
Once we have unblocked your IP, it is worth identifying what triggered the block:
- Check all email clients on the affected network are using the correct password. An email client silently retrying with a wrong password every few minutes is the most common trigger.
- If you recently changed your email account password, update it in every email client and application that uses it.
- Check whether any installed WordPress plugins are generating a high volume of login or authentication requests.
- If you are a developer or regularly work on sites, see our article My IP address keeps getting blocked when I am working on my website for guidance on requesting a permanent whitelist entry for your IP.
