Post by ProBoards Help Guide on Mar 8, 2016 10:54:32 GMT -8
This article was revised on 2021-08-25
Understanding Bans
Being Banned
Banning is a process in which a user is denied the ability to access or participate on a forum. While the majority of bans are deliberate, it is possible to be unintentionally banned.
Types of Bans
There are two basic types of bans:
Forum Initiated Ban
A forum Admin (or appropriate staff) can ban a user from accessing or participating on their forum. The ban can be permanent or set as temporary with an expiration date.
Cloudflare Ban
When Cloudflare interprets activity as possibly malicious, it will automatically impose a ban.
If you receive a Cloudflare ban message, create a thread on the Support Board and include the complete message by text or screenshot. It is important your thread contains the IP address and Ray ID information that appears in the ban message. Also list your actions prior to the ban. A ProBoards Support Admin will investigate and advise whether or not the ban can be lifted.
Unintentional Bans
A ban is unintentional when it affects a user not originally intended to be banned. The most common cause is when the user is assigned an IP address that has been previously banned.
The following explains some ways a user can be unintentionally banned:
Cellular / Mobile
IP addresses used by cellular services are recycled (reused), so you may be assigned an IP address that has been banned. Enabling, then disabling the device's airplane mode (or turning the device off and on) should assign you a different IP address.
Internet Service Provider (ISP)
Residential IP addresses can be either static or dynamic. While most are dynamic they do not change often, if at all. If you find yourself banned due to a changed IP address, you can contact your ISP to request a new IP address be assigned.
Non-Residential / Public
Non-residential locations (e.g. schools, businesses, libraries, coffee shops) generally use a single external IP address.
If a user was banned while at one of these locations, then due to the single use IP address the ban applies to the entire institution and thus any subsequent user.
VPN / Proxy
Due to the anonymity offered by using a VPN or proxy, they are often the choice for malicious behavior. It would not be uncommon to be assigned a banned IP address. If you are unable to change the IP address, then you may need to disable the VPN or proxy while using our service.
Understanding Bans
Being Banned
Banning is a process in which a user is denied the ability to access or participate on a forum. While the majority of bans are deliberate, it is possible to be unintentionally banned.
Types of Bans
There are two basic types of bans:
Forum Initiated Ban
A forum Admin (or appropriate staff) can ban a user from accessing or participating on their forum. The ban can be permanent or set as temporary with an expiration date.
- Temporary bans will display the expiration date and time when attempting to directly log into the forum. Attempting to log in through the dashboard will only show the account as being banned.
Forum Admins have the right to manage who can participate and access their forum. This includes the option to ban users - with or without a reason. ProBoards will not intervene.
Cloudflare Ban
When Cloudflare interprets activity as possibly malicious, it will automatically impose a ban.
If you receive a Cloudflare ban message, create a thread on the Support Board and include the complete message by text or screenshot. It is important your thread contains the IP address and Ray ID information that appears in the ban message. Also list your actions prior to the ban. A ProBoards Support Admin will investigate and advise whether or not the ban can be lifted.
Unintentional Bans
A ban is unintentional when it affects a user not originally intended to be banned. The most common cause is when the user is assigned an IP address that has been previously banned.
The following explains some ways a user can be unintentionally banned:
Cellular / Mobile
IP addresses used by cellular services are recycled (reused), so you may be assigned an IP address that has been banned. Enabling, then disabling the device's airplane mode (or turning the device off and on) should assign you a different IP address.
Internet Service Provider (ISP)
Residential IP addresses can be either static or dynamic. While most are dynamic they do not change often, if at all. If you find yourself banned due to a changed IP address, you can contact your ISP to request a new IP address be assigned.
Non-Residential / Public
Non-residential locations (e.g. schools, businesses, libraries, coffee shops) generally use a single external IP address.
If a user was banned while at one of these locations, then due to the single use IP address the ban applies to the entire institution and thus any subsequent user.
VPN / Proxy
Due to the anonymity offered by using a VPN or proxy, they are often the choice for malicious behavior. It would not be uncommon to be assigned a banned IP address. If you are unable to change the IP address, then you may need to disable the VPN or proxy while using our service.
For additional questions regarding bans, create a thread on the Support Board and a ProBoards Support Admin will assist you.