A website is blocked — what the block page means and how to request access

Your company uses DNSFilter to block malicious and inappropriate sites before your browser ever reaches them. When it blocks something you see a block page rather than the site — which is a good sign, because it means the protection is doing its job.

Sometimes it catches something you legitimately need. That is easy to fix.

Is it blocked, or is it broken?

Blocked looks like a page that loads instantly and says the site has been blocked, usually naming a category such as Malware, Phishing, Advertising, or Streaming Media.

Broken looks like a browser error — This site can’t be reached, Server not found, a spinning tab that times out.

The distinction matters. A block page means your internet is working fine; only that destination is restricted. A browser error means something else is wrong and you should look at The internet is down — the five-minute triage checklist.

If a site is blocked and you need it for work

Send us these details and we will review it:

1. The full web address, copied from the address bar. Not “the supplier portal” — the actual URL.
2. The category shown on the block page, if it names one.
3. What you need it for. A one-line business reason is enough.
4. Whether colleagues need it too, since we can allow it for a group or the whole company rather than just you.

Email [email protected] with that and we will usually action it the same working day. If it is blocking something time-critical, call.

What we will and will not unblock

Usually yes: supplier and client portals, industry publications, legitimate cloud tools, vendor documentation, training platforms — anything with a plain business use.

Usually with a conversation first: file sharing services, remote access tools, and anything that lets data leave the company unmonitored. Not a no, but worth a two-minute discussion about the safer route.

No: sites categorised as malware, phishing, or command-and-control. If you have hit one of those, we will want to know how you arrived there, because it usually means a link in an email or a compromised advert somewhere.

Some categories are your employer’s policy rather than ours — social media or streaming during work hours, for example. We apply the policy we have been asked to apply, so those requests go to your manager first.

If you think something is miscategorised

It happens. New sites, small vendors, and recently-registered domains get categorised conservatively by default, which occasionally catches a legitimate business.

Tell us and we will check the site, confirm it is safe, and correct the category. That correction helps other clients too.

Things not to do

Do not use a VPN or proxy to get around the filter. Beyond the policy issue, those tools frequently are the threat — free VPN extensions are a common route for credential theft. If you need something, ask; the answer is usually yes.

Do not switch your DNS settings. Aside from breaking the protection, it usually breaks access to internal resources and printers as well, and produces a confusing fault that takes a while to unpick.

Do not use a personal phone hotspot to reach a blocked site on a work laptop. The filtering exists to protect the laptop, and stepping around it puts the device — and everything it can reach — at risk.

If a block page appears when you did not click anything

Worth reporting. It can mean:

• An advert on a legitimate page tried to load something malicious. Common and mostly harmless, since it was stopped.
• A program on your computer is contacting somewhere it should not. Less common and worth investigating.
• A browser extension is doing something unexpected.

Note what you were doing at the time and tell us. If it happens repeatedly, especially with a Malware or Command and Control category, treat it as urgent and call.

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Need a site reviewed? Email [email protected] with the URL and why you need it, or call 440-991-9980 if it is holding up work right now.