If you find yourself not being able to connect to your website, cPanel and webmail from a certain computer, most likely, you have triggered the Firewall rules.Â
A firewall is a set of devices designed to protect networks from unauthorized access while permitting legitimate communications to pass. Automatic firewall blocks are created on unauthorized IP access or repeated failed login attempts.
What can be the reason of the IP being blocked and how to avoid it?Â
- Failed cPanel login attempts
A good rule of thumb for any account is to not login in over and over again if your login fails. Oftentimes as many as 4-5 failed logins will lock you out of an account. Sometimes, these lock outs are temporary (15-30 mins). More often they are permanent until you contact your administrator to unlock your account. Always use the “Forgot your password†reset links to maintain control of your account and avoid lock outs.
- Failed POP3/IMAP/SMTP or Webmail login
To be noted: oftentimes clients have unknown or a forgotten device attempting to access email from which they are not aware with incorrect information and while your IP address can be unblocked, once your Internet Service Provider (ISP) rotates you to a new IP you will again be blocked by the firewall. Depending on how often your ISP updates IPs, you will experience lockouts occurring every 2-3 month until you isolate and eliminate the culprit device creating the lockouts.
- Incorrect email client settings
Besides having an incorrect password, you could have incorrect email client settings. It is sometimes better to delete the mal-functioning email account from the email client on your PC, tablet or phone and re-enter the correct account type, username, password, incoming and outgoing ports.
There are a few other more technical reasons, however, these are the most common. The faster course of action is to obtain the IP address for the location where you are experiencing inability to access CPanel, your email or your website.
What should I do if I am locked out?
- Visit: myipaddress.com
- Note your IP address. The IP address is a number that resembles x.x.x.x, e.g. 72.46.100.3
- Email this IP address to your admin with a small description of your issue and a request to unblock your IP.
