Oh no! Cloudflare ruins another favorite website of mine

[Lizzy Belle]

I don't know why this was posted in "General Sailing" and not "Tech Support", especially since there's already an open topic there: http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ts-159833.html

More on Cloudflare on page 2 of that topic.

[Muckle Flugga]

Originally Posted by Lizzy Belle

I don't know why this was posted in "General Sailing" and not "Tech Support", especially since there's already an open topic there: http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ts-159833.html

More on Cloudflare on page 2 of that topic.

Thanks Lizzy… but it seems I cannot access it now, because of "Cloudflare"

[Lizzy Belle]

Originally Posted by Muckle Flugga

I cannot access it now, because of "Cloudflare"

Oh, the irony

This is what I posted in that topic:

Originally Posted by Lizzy Belle

This related topic (posted in "General Sailing") should probably be merged with this topic:
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ne-160004.html

Cloudflare doesn't ruin websites -- Cloudflare setting, however, can in some cases
In this case, it looks like the CF owners/admins have chosen to activate some security rules that don't necessarily play nice with an international (wifi-sharing etc.) audience like world cruisers.

However, these rules do protect the site from all sorts of unwanted attention, so it's not always easy to find the right balance between enough and the right kind of security and being completely user-friendly.

If the choice is between having to check "remember me" or have CF use less strict security, I'll check that box (that solves my problems at least).



I'm pretty sure that my still having issues with CF (and only CF) has nothing to do with svchost.exe.
I'm on Linux



Cloudflare has NOTHING at all to do with monetizing. It actually costs money, and what is does is provide a much faster and way more secure website.

Again, finding the right balance between being user friendly and offering said users a secure website can be quite a challenge, so let us all be a little patient and give the admins some time to sort everything out and find the right balance for this site and her many, many users.

And be grateful this website is secure, even if it can be a pain in the lower back sometimes

[Simonsays]

cloudflare acts as a reverse proxy, i.e. it filters all trafic coming to the server hosting this site.
the data basis for those filters are not public as far as i know.
as a user you have no means of complaining to cloudflare directly, only reports submitted by the site-owner are beeing handled.

information required from the cloudflare help page:

ii) Where the visitor is geographically located (Issues are almost always isolated to one of our data centers. By knowing where they are located, we can investigate much quicker)
iii) A description of the error page they are seeing
iv) The output of a traceroute (if possible)

[Muckle Flugga]

Originally Posted by Simonsays

cloudflare acts as a reverse proxy, i.e. it filters all trafic coming to the server hosting this site.
the data basis for those filters are not public as far as i know.
as a user you have no means of complaining to cloudflare directly, only reports submitted by the site-owner are beeing handled.

information required from the cloudflare help page:

ii) Where the visitor is geographically located (Issues are almost always isolated to one of our data centers. By knowing where they are located, we can investigate much quicker)
iii) A description of the error page they are seeing
iv) The output of a traceroute (if possible)

Thanks Simonsays. I have a little better picture. Still doesn't help much though. But for the record: dear site owner, I am currently in Thailand and your Cloudflare filter program is totally disfunctional, from where I stand.

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by Lizzy Belle

I don't know why this was posted in "General Sailing" and not "Tech Support", especially since there's already an open topic there: http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ts-159833.html

More on Cloudflare on page 2 of that topic.

I moved it to tech support

I am sure the powers that be are doing the best they can to resolve the issue

[Muckle Flugga]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

I moved it to tech support

Thanks A64. Hopefully will be dealt with.

[Lizzy Belle]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

I moved it to tech support

Thanks!

--

I logged onto my Cloudflare account (yes, I use it too ) and found this information on the CAPTCHA issues:

Why do I see a captcha or challenge page (Attention Required) trying to visit a site protected by CloudFlare as a site visitor?

A site visitor to a website that CloudFlare is protecting can see a captcha for the following reasons:

1.The IP address you are on has shown problematic activity online recently in one of our data sources. If you would like to look your IP up, then please look your IP up at Project Honeypot. If the IP address shows data for malicious activity, you can see why there. You can also attempt to whitelist your IP directly on that page by connecting from that IP.

2. The site owner decided to block the country you are visiting from.

3. Your actions are triggering a Web Application Firewall rule that the website owner has turned on.

What to do:

1. You can still enter the site by passing the captcha. You can also request to the site owner that the whitelist your IP address. You must have cookies and JavaScript enabled in your browser settings to pass the captcha. If you are running any anti-virus or firewall programs on your computer, then you may also need to check to make sure that they aren't blocking access to the captcha image.

2. If your IP is showing that you are distributing malware or spam, your computer may have an infection and we would recommend running an anti-virus scan.

[Muckle Flugga]

Originally Posted by Lizzy Belle

Thanks!

--

I logged onto my Cloudflare account (yes, I use it too ) and found this information on the CAPTCHA issues:

Well I do not. And I have never experienced this problem with this site or any site before. And I don't actually buy their nonsense because the captcha image DOES load, but typing it in AGAIN AND AGAIN accurately doesn't result in anything more than another captcha image loading. That MUST be their issue. And it is totally random. Sometimes it happens other times not. If I get in it is sometimes by the captcha thing working (rarely) but even then seconds later it can block me again. Mostly it just doesn't work. I can only assume it is because my location is Thailand right now, as it seems that they have regional issues as well… so much for the global village of the web eh? And… do you work for them or something, because you kinda seem to like them a lot…

[Lizzy Belle]

Originally Posted by Muckle Flugga

do you work for them or something, because you kinda seem to like them a lot…

Haha, nope, and I only use their free service

I'm just trying to help you guys limit the CAPTCHA frustrations, and figured it might help at least some people to whitelist their IP (see post above).

I'll go back to my quiet corner now, as I only seems to add to the frustration

[Muckle Flugga]

Originally Posted by Lizzy Belle

Haha, nope, and I only use their free service

I'm just trying to help you guys limit the CAPTCHA frustrations, and figured it might help at least some people to whitelist their IP (see post above).

I'll go back to my quiet corner now, as I only seems to add to the frustration

No look thanks for the help. Just that it is indeed frustrating. Honestly if it keeps happening I am going to stop using CF. Maybe that will be a gift to some? Anyhow it absorbs too much of my time as it is, probably, and this Cloudflare nonsense just ruins it for me, and doubles the time it all takes.

Hilariously they advertise themselves (at least from some things I have read) as a "disruptive" technology. Never has that sounded more accurate to my ears!

[Lizzy Belle]

Originally Posted by Muckle Flugga

it is indeed frustrating.

I understand - tho with the "remember me" box checked I am now fine and I don't have to deal with the CAPTCHA, I do know what it feels like and suffer from TRA (Technology Related Anger) myself on a regular basis ...

CloudFlare works fine for me, BUT ... my site is small, and the target audience = Dutch people, mostly living in brick houses who all have their own IP. Makes it a LOT easier

CF has thousands of members, and they connect to the forum from all over the globe, using whatever means to connect to the www. This'll require some very specific settings to use the CloudFlare firewall, and it'll take them some time to figure out exactly what works without giving up too much security.

Maybe whitelisting as described above will help some people, other then that I can't really think of a quick solution

[Muckle Flugga]

Originally Posted by Lizzy Belle

I understand - tho with the "remember me" box checked I am now fine and I don't have to deal with the CAPTCHA, I do know what it feels like and suffer from TRA (Technology Related Anger) myself on a regular basis ...

CloudFlare works fine for me, BUT ... my site is small, and the target audience = Dutch people, mostly living in brick houses who all have their own IP. Makes it a LOT easier

CF has thousands of members, and they connect to the forum from all over the globe, using whatever means to connect to the www. This'll require some very specific settings to use the CloudFlare firewall, and it'll take them some time to figure out exactly what works without giving up too much security.

Maybe whitelisting as described above will help some people, other then that I can't really think of a quick solution

Thanks anyhow. I am actually not that old (yet!) but getting older, and tech is starting to weary me a bit.

[Stu Jackson]

I suggested using patience and heaving to for a day or so on the other thread. Lizzy has given you all some ideas. While I sit on a laptop in one place, I recognize that most of you don't. But I do not understand why anyone wouldn't use the Remember Me button. Could someone explain to me any advantages having to log on each time you visit the site? Or disadvantages or doing so? Really, I don't understand. Thanks. I have a half dozen sites I use regularly, and often link from one to another, so keeping tabs open and the sites open makes sense to me.

[Lizzy Belle]

Originally Posted by Stu Jackson

But I do not understand why anyone wouldn't use the Remember Me button.

Shared computer could be one very good reason And there's more, but for now I am checking that box, cos I can't really use the site otherwise.

But the "remember me" cookie has nothing to do with the much more annoying CAPTCHA issue people are facing. That pretty much prevents people from being able to navigate the site ...