Hosting servers block IP addresses that look like attackers, for example after several failed logins. Sometimes that catches a real customer: your website, cPanel or email suddenly times out from your home or office, while it works for everyone else. This guide helps you confirm a block, fix the cause and get unblocked.
Before you start
- A second internet connection to test with, such as mobile data on your phone (turn Wi-Fi off).
- Access to the MdmHost dashboard to open a ticket if needed.
Signs your IP is blocked
- Your site, cPanel and webmail all time out or show connection refused from one network, but load on mobile data.
- Your mail app keeps asking for the password and then cannot connect at all.
- FTP or SSH stopped connecting right after a few failed attempts.
- A page shows a 403 Forbidden or a CAPTCHA from Imunify360 WebShield instead of your site.
If the site is down from every network, it is not an IP block; see site down checklist.
Find your public IP
Open the IP checker from the blocked network and note the address. Your router's internal address such as 192.168.1.10 is not the one the server sees.
Common causes
| Cause | Blocked by |
|---|---|
| A phone or laptop mail app still using an old password | CSF/LFD or cPHulk |
| Several wrong cPanel or WordPress login attempts | cPHulk, Imunify360 |
| Wrong FTP or SSH credentials saved in a client | CSF/LFD |
| A form or admin action that looks like an attack | ModSecurity |
| Malware on a computer in your network sending spam or scans | Imunify360 reputation, CSF |
| Too many connections at once, for example aggressive download tools | CSF connection limits |
Get unblocked
- Fix the cause first: update the password in every device and app, or remove the old account from your phone. Otherwise you will be blocked again within minutes.
- If your IP was greylisted by Imunify360 and you see a CAPTCHA, complete it in the browser; this usually clears the block. See Imunify360 WebShield CAPTCHA.
- Otherwise open a ticket from Dashboard → Support → Open ticket using mobile data. Include your public IP, the time it started and which service failed.
- Support will remove the block and tell you which service triggered it.
Note: Running your own VPS or WHM server? Remove the block yourself: CSF in WHM, Imunify360, fail2ban or cPHulk.
Troubleshooting
- Unblocked, but still cannot reach cPanel: your network may block port 2083. Try the mail and cPanel ports listed in cPanel firewall ports.
- Blocked again every day: a device in the office keeps retrying. Check every phone, tablet and shared PC for a saved old password.
- Your IP changes often: that is normal for home connections; a new IP is never blocked by the old block.