What to Do When Cloudflare is Blocking You: How to Fix Cloudflare Blocking Issues

Cloudflare is an incredibly popular global technology firm that provides a wide range of internet services. It focuses primarily on improving the performance, security, and reliability of websites. It is used by small businesses and large corporations alike, as well as government agencies, nonprofits, educational institutions, and e-commerce platforms. 

On rare occasions, people find themselves blocked while using or interacting with Cloudflare sites. Although this isn’t very common, it’s certainly frustrating! And it can send you scrambling to search for answers: Why is Cloudflare blocking me?

There are several reasons why you might encounter blocked content associated with Cloudflare. To fix the problem, you have to understand why you have been blocked. 

Who can get blocked on Cloudflare? 

There are two groups of people who get blocked on Cloudflare: internet users who want to access a Cloudflare-integrated website and people who are using the Cloudflare platform in a professional capacity. 

Why is Cloudflare blocking me from websites? 

Most of the time, you will never know whether or not a website you are visiting is integrated with Cloudflare tools or resources. But if you encounter an Error 1020 from a Cloudflare site, you will immediately find out. 

You are most likely to encounter an “Error 1020: Access Denied” message if you somehow violated the site’s firewall rules. Cloudflare will also block individual users in circumstances like these: 

• Their IP address is associated with malicious activity
• They are using a VPN or proxy that’s on a blocklist
• They have triggered security rules due to unusual browsing patterns
• They are currently in a country or region that the website owner has chosen to block

How does Cloudflare block users from its sites? 

Cloudflare and websites that use Cloudflare can block users through several methods. 

• IP blocking: Cloudflare allows website owners to block specific IP addresses or ranges of IP addresses.
• Country blocking: Website owners can use Cloudflare to block traffic from entire countries or regions as a form of geofencing/geoblocking. 
• Firewall rules: Cloudflare’s Web Application Firewall (WAF) can be configured to block users based on various criteria, such as suspicious behavior or specific request patterns.
• Challenge pages: Cloudflare refers to CAPTCHA screens and other verification methods to suspicious traffic as “Challenges,” which can effectively block automated attacks or crawlers. (Real human users shouldn’t encounter these problems unless there is a glitch with the page)
• Rate limiting: Cloudflare can limit the number of requests from a single IP address, potentially blocking users who exceed these limits.
• Browser integrity checks: Cloudflare can block requests from browsers that don’t meet certain criteria or appear to be malicious.
• Threat intelligence: Cloudflare may automatically block IPs known to be associated with malicious activity.
• Custom blocking rules: Website owners who use Cloudflare can create custom rules to block specific types of traffic or users.

Being blocked by Cloudflare doesn’t necessarily mean being blocked from the entire internet. It typically means being blocked from accessing specific websites or services that use Cloudflare’s protection.

What to do if you have been blocked by Cloudflare protection

If you are legitimately trying to access a website for authentic use purposes, Cloudflare’s instructions will tell you to contact the website owner. Be sure to take a screenshot of the error message so you can share the specifics of how you got blocked. 

To find the website owner: Most websites have a contact page with relevant contact information, including an email address. Similarly, you may find a chatbot on the page that will connect you with the right person to help you out. Many people have had success resolving issues like this by contacting the company’s customer service account on X/Twitter.

What happens when a website administrator gets blocked from Cloudflare content? 

If you are using one of Cloudflare’s products at work and you find yourself blocked from specific content, that’s a completely different issue from a user’s IP address getting blocked. You might see a “Sorry, you have been blocked” error message when trying to access some part of the Cloudflare ecosystem. 

Some of the situations in which this could occur include: 

• Violation of internal security policies: Your company might use Cloudflare to implement strict security measures across its network, which could inadvertently block legitimate employees like you.
• Testing and development: IT or security teams might be testing new security rules or configurations, which could temporarily block access for some employees.
• Geoblocking: If you are working remotely from a different country, you might encounter blocks set up to restrict access based on geographic location.
• Overzealous security settings: Sometimes, security settings might be configured too strictly, causing false positives that block legitimate users; this can happen to employees working with Cloudflare.
• Shared IP addresses: In large organizations, many employees might share the same outgoing IP address. If one user engages in suspicious activity, it could result in that IP being blocked, affecting all users on that network.
• VPN usage: If you are using a company VPN, the VPN’s IP address could be flagged or blocked due to the actions of other users on that VPN.

What to do if you have been blocked by Cloudflare at work

As an employee, if you encounter a block like this, the first thing to do, typically, is to contact your IT department. Be prepared to share exactly what happened, including what you were trying to access, what error message you received, and what you have already tried to fix the problem. 

Your IT department may use the following strategies to resolve the issue:

• Whitelisting specific IP addresses you are using
• Adjusting Cloudflare settings
• Contacting Cloudflare support for assistance
• Implementing new access controls

For companies that use Cloudflare, it is important to maintain strong security and ensure that employees have the access they need to do their jobs. 

Will a VPN help me get around a blocked Cloudflare site? 

If you are being blocked from accessing a Cloudflare site because of your IP address, a VPN may resolve the issue. 

A Virtual Private Network (VPN) masks your IP address so that internet service providers and websites cannot tell where you are. If your IP address has been blocked, or if you are in a region that has been geo-blocked by a website, you may be able to get around it by installing a VPN. 

Check out our VPN simplifier tool to learn more about how to choose the right VPN for your needs.