KubuntuForums and ZB-Block
Hello! I'm the code maintainer for ZB-Block, which is used on KFN to block hackers, spammers, undesirable spiders/crawlers, and other connections of dubious intent from reaching the site. Not only do these connections waste server resources, but they may constitute a privacy risk for individual users, as well as a security risk to the site itself.
First of all, I would like to offer my apologies to anyone who experienced a false positive due to ZB-Block, or had issues reporting their false positive to the site administrators. Older versions of ZB-Block expected certain conditions or prerequisites, at both the server level and on a visitor's machine, that aren't industry-standard anymore. For example, clicking a mailto: link -- not everyone has an email program/app set up to use it. If you have an email client configured, it may or may not pass along the information ZB-Block attempts to attach to that email.
Snowhog passed many of your issues and concerns along to me these last few weeks, and I have updated ZB-Block to address your complaints. The updated code will be released to site owners/administrators in the next few days.
But not everything will be "fixed". If you come to this site through a proxy or VPN service, that connection may be blocked due to the amount of spam, hacking attempts, and/or other undesirable behavior seen from that connection. It's not you, but the people who have abused that connection in the past and will continue to abuse it in the future, that cause proxies and VPNs to be blocked.
Other potential issues that will not be "fixed": obsolete browsers, image and/or text harvesters, unwanted spiders/crawlers, connections with a history of spammer activity, and any connection that appears to be hacking the site.
The error message ZB-Block provides should give an idea where the problem is. If it's something within your control (such as updating your browser or using a different internet provider), go ahead and make that change, then try again.
If you can't figure out the problem from the error message ZB-Block provides, please let Snowhog know:
a. if the screen shows a link to submit a Trouble Ticket, please do so. If the link doesn't open your email client automatically, please manually email the address shown on your screen -- and attach a screenshot of the ZB-Block screen, so Snowhog can see where the problem is.
b. if the screen gives you a form that asks your email address and other details, please complete that form. Once you click "Submit", you should see a confirmation screen.
Depending on where the problem lays, your issue may be resolved within a few hours, or it may take a day or two. Please allow at least 24 hours for your issue to be addressed once you submit the Trouble Ticket (by email or through the on-screen form), because let's be honest: you're not online 24/7. Neither is Snowhog, nor am I. Allow sufficient time for Snowhog to see your Trouble Ticket and look into it, time for him to reach out to me if necessary. Patience is your friend.
Things that don't help:
a. posting about your ZB-Block issue on the forum. Posting your Trouble Ticket details, such as the IP, may violate your privacy -- but Snowhog may not be able to resolve your issue without those details.
b. not submitting a Trouble Ticket (either by email or the on-screen form, depending how Snowhog configures it).
c. continuing to access KFN from the same blocked device or connection. Bots keep trying regardless, hackers try to find other ways in. ZB-Block adapts to the situation at hand, and if you appear to be hacking or DDoS-ing the site, you will block yourself from seeing KFN at all.
d. not waiting 24 hours for someone to see your Trouble Ticket and do something about it. Trouble Tickets are not Captchas; submitting one does not magically "let you in" to KFN.
Things that do help:
a. submitting a Trouble Ticket the first time you see a ZB-Block error screen, unless you can resolve the issue on your own. Snowhog can't fix a problem he isn't aware of.
b.if you are on a paid proxy or VPN service, let Snowhog know. Neither he nor I can see whether a proxy or VPN connection is "free" or "paid", all we have are IPs. If you can advise which of your service's IPs are "free" and which are "for paid subscribers only", Snowhog can configure ZB-Block to allow those IPs in. Or he can forward the list to me, allowing me to code exceptions for the "paid" IPs into ZB-Block.
c. if you have set up your own proxy or VPN service, let Snowhog know. ZB-Block has blanket blocks for many other webhosts and cloud services, so your service may need to be whitelisted even if your IP(s) are "clean".
d. if you are on an unusual or obsolete device, or run a non-standard or obsolete browser, let Snowhog know. As much as he'd rather you not run IE 8 on Windows XP, if that's the only way you can get online he'll find a way to let you into KFN.
e. if you are on a brand new device or connection and find yourself blocked, let Snowhog know it's a new device or connection. A previous whitelisting might not apply anymore, only Snowhog can rectify it.
KFN's site administration team, and I personally, want your experience on KFN to be a good one. Please help us help you, by following the guidance above.
First of all, I would like to offer my apologies to anyone who experienced a false positive due to ZB-Block, or had issues reporting their false positive to the site administrators. Older versions of ZB-Block expected certain conditions or prerequisites, at both the server level and on a visitor's machine, that aren't industry-standard anymore. For example, clicking a mailto: link -- not everyone has an email program/app set up to use it. If you have an email client configured, it may or may not pass along the information ZB-Block attempts to attach to that email.
Snowhog passed many of your issues and concerns along to me these last few weeks, and I have updated ZB-Block to address your complaints. The updated code will be released to site owners/administrators in the next few days.
But not everything will be "fixed". If you come to this site through a proxy or VPN service, that connection may be blocked due to the amount of spam, hacking attempts, and/or other undesirable behavior seen from that connection. It's not you, but the people who have abused that connection in the past and will continue to abuse it in the future, that cause proxies and VPNs to be blocked.
Other potential issues that will not be "fixed": obsolete browsers, image and/or text harvesters, unwanted spiders/crawlers, connections with a history of spammer activity, and any connection that appears to be hacking the site.
The error message ZB-Block provides should give an idea where the problem is. If it's something within your control (such as updating your browser or using a different internet provider), go ahead and make that change, then try again.
If you can't figure out the problem from the error message ZB-Block provides, please let Snowhog know:
a. if the screen shows a link to submit a Trouble Ticket, please do so. If the link doesn't open your email client automatically, please manually email the address shown on your screen -- and attach a screenshot of the ZB-Block screen, so Snowhog can see where the problem is.
b. if the screen gives you a form that asks your email address and other details, please complete that form. Once you click "Submit", you should see a confirmation screen.
Depending on where the problem lays, your issue may be resolved within a few hours, or it may take a day or two. Please allow at least 24 hours for your issue to be addressed once you submit the Trouble Ticket (by email or through the on-screen form), because let's be honest: you're not online 24/7. Neither is Snowhog, nor am I. Allow sufficient time for Snowhog to see your Trouble Ticket and look into it, time for him to reach out to me if necessary. Patience is your friend.
Things that don't help:
a. posting about your ZB-Block issue on the forum. Posting your Trouble Ticket details, such as the IP, may violate your privacy -- but Snowhog may not be able to resolve your issue without those details.
b. not submitting a Trouble Ticket (either by email or the on-screen form, depending how Snowhog configures it).
c. continuing to access KFN from the same blocked device or connection. Bots keep trying regardless, hackers try to find other ways in. ZB-Block adapts to the situation at hand, and if you appear to be hacking or DDoS-ing the site, you will block yourself from seeing KFN at all.
d. not waiting 24 hours for someone to see your Trouble Ticket and do something about it. Trouble Tickets are not Captchas; submitting one does not magically "let you in" to KFN.
Things that do help:
a. submitting a Trouble Ticket the first time you see a ZB-Block error screen, unless you can resolve the issue on your own. Snowhog can't fix a problem he isn't aware of.
b.if you are on a paid proxy or VPN service, let Snowhog know. Neither he nor I can see whether a proxy or VPN connection is "free" or "paid", all we have are IPs. If you can advise which of your service's IPs are "free" and which are "for paid subscribers only", Snowhog can configure ZB-Block to allow those IPs in. Or he can forward the list to me, allowing me to code exceptions for the "paid" IPs into ZB-Block.
c. if you have set up your own proxy or VPN service, let Snowhog know. ZB-Block has blanket blocks for many other webhosts and cloud services, so your service may need to be whitelisted even if your IP(s) are "clean".
d. if you are on an unusual or obsolete device, or run a non-standard or obsolete browser, let Snowhog know. As much as he'd rather you not run IE 8 on Windows XP, if that's the only way you can get online he'll find a way to let you into KFN.
e. if you are on a brand new device or connection and find yourself blocked, let Snowhog know it's a new device or connection. A previous whitelisting might not apply anymore, only Snowhog can rectify it.
KFN's site administration team, and I personally, want your experience on KFN to be a good one. Please help us help you, by following the guidance above.
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