How to block an IP address in cPanel

cPanel is a popular web hosting control panel known for its easy-to-use interface, which helps both beginners and advanced users manage websites. It offers numerous features to ensure the website’s security and performance. One of these features is the IP Blocker tool, which improves website security. This tool allows you to block certain IP addresses, which can help protect your site from attacks, unauthorized access, and too much traffic that might slow down your server.

In this tutorial, we’ll explore how to block IP address in cPanel using step-by-step instructions.

Blocking an IP Address in cPanel

The IP Blocker in cPanel is a security tool that lets us block a specific IP address or range of IPs from accessing your website. Blocking specific IP addresses helps you protect your website from malware attacks, unauthorized users, and excessive requests. This practice improves your website’s security and performance by blocking unwanted IPs. Let’s follow the steps below to learn how to block an IP address in cPanel:

Step 1: Log in to cPanel

Visit the official cPanel website and provide the appropriate credentials to log in to your cPanel account:

Step 2: Locate the IP Blocker Tool

On the cPanel dashboard, locate the IP blocker tool, which is generally found under the SECURITY section:

Click on the highlighted option to access the IP Blocker tool.

Step 3: Block IP Address cPanel

You can block a single or multiple addresses using the IP Blocker tool. For this purpose, specify the IP address or a range of IPs to be blocked as follows:

1. To block a single IP, specify the address like this 192.168.1.1.
2. To block a range of IP addresses, use the “-” symbol: 192.168.1.1-192.168.1.255
3. To block a CIDR range, enter 192.168.1.0/24.

Step 4: Verify Blocked IP Address

After blocking an IP address, you can confirm it by scrolling down a little to the “Currently Blocked IP Addresses” section:

Step 5: Unblock an IP Address cPanel

If you want to unblock an IP address, navigate to the IP Blocker tool, locate the IP address in the block list, and click the Delete button next to it:

This way, you can block or unblock an IP address in the cPanel.

Best Practices for Blocking IP Addresses

Blocking IP addresses is a useful security measure, but it’s important to follow best practices to avoid blocking real users and keep your site secure:

1. Only block IPs when there’s suspicious or malicious activity to avoid blocking legitimate users.
2. Regularly check access logs for unusual traffic patterns or spikes, especially from single or ranges of IPs.
3. For advanced protection, use a firewall or security plugin to filter traffic and provide additional layers of security.
4. If attacks are coming from specific regions or services, block entire IP ranges or CIDR blocks rather than just individual IPs.
5. Implement CAPTCHA challenges or rate-limiting mechanisms to protect against brute-force login attempts and automated bots.
6. After blocking IPs, ensure they no longer have access and verify that legitimate users can still access the site.

Conclusion

Blocking an IP address in cPanel is an easy and effective way to protect your website from unwanted traffic and security risks. By blocking harmful IPs, you can stop unauthorized access, prevent attacks, and improve your site’s performance. However, it’s important to use this tool carefully to avoid blocking real users.

In addition to blocking IPs, it’s a good idea to use other security features like firewalls, CAPTCHA, and rate-limiting to make your website even safer. Regularly checking your site and taking extra security steps are key to keeping your website secure in today’s online world. In this article, we demonstrated how to use the IP Blocker tool to block IP addresses in cPanel.

FAQ