FORBIDDEN, a 403 error; you don't have permission to access

[TM7]

Forbidden
You don't have permission to access................

Additionally, a 403 Forbidden error was encountered while trying to use an ErrorDocument to handle the request.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


More and more of this.   Dark Ages impending.....the re-writing and erasure of history has begun anew,
pending a total shut down of the Light of the internet.


...TM7
.

[Squib]

is the subject totally dead to users here?  strange since we're all net junkies but as much as we're gun nuts!

so is the 403 specifically BLOCKED sites?  I'm not tech savvy.

[Squib]

there are a lot of neglected sites, old programs, viruses and such.  for something so big and complex I'm surprised it works as well as it does.

[Bigeasy]

Maybe Al Gore can fix it?

Larry

[MGMorden]

403 is a standard error code returned from a web server.  It's usually just a sign of a misconfigured server.

Just from a security standpoint, you only allow access to files you specifically want accessed (for instance, configuration files for the pages are often stored in the same directories so that the web server can access them, but you don't want hackers to access them, so you don't allow access).

Now, most commonly, if you visit a site via a main domain name, or a directory (ie, www.graybeardoutdoors.com, or www.grayboardoudoors.com/forums/), and you get a 403 error, it's because either the main page has been removed, or the administrator forgot to set a valid fallback page (typically index.htm, index.html, index.php, or index.asp).  With either of those two situations, default webserver behavior would normally be to show you a directory listing, but this is a HUGE security risk, and so when a directory listing is attempted you get the 403 error - access denied.

404 is the code returned when you ask for a SPECIFIC page and it's not there.

I wouldn't worry about this.  Most tyrannical regimes who try to block pages typically do so through the DNS system, which results in the address not being resolved in the first place.  If you get the 403 - you made it to the web server successfully.

[MGMorden]

As I said, in countries where that happens, it would typically be to remove the DNS entry, or to shutdown the webserver.  Both would result in the request timing out (the message would vary by which  browser you're using, but it would be some variation of the site "timing out" or "not responding"). 

403 is a different code.  As I said, it's typically the result of a misconfigured webserver.  We've accidentally set it before at work - most web admins have on occasion.

[MGMorden]

I understand what you're saying is the format. But why would forces taking down or turning off over 100,000 websites at this point want any indication of doing just that..?? Just default to a 403.....or list a domain change-expiration, and no forwarding link.

..TM7
.

Because of the very reason you're latching onto.  The 403 error code SOUNDS much more ominous.  When you see that "Forbidden" message flash up people get nervous.  If some nefarious power was taking these things down, they'd do it through more common and far less scary sounding DNS tactic - quite commonly employed because one often has no access to servers outside of one's own country.  Attacking the DNS entry is easier and pretty effective.

Trust me, there's no way they'd be attacking random blogs and leaving Wikileaks up.

[Range Rider]

I know who is behind all this.  Its that dumb looking fat boy from the Chevy Pop-ups.  Just look every time you visit this sight he is learing back at you.  You know very well this guber is behind the 403 error plots.

RR

[bobg]

  Speaking of errors. I get a 504 error every time i log into GBO chat.  That is the only place i get it. Don't have a clue what it means.

[MGMorden]

  Speaking of errors. I get a 504 error every time i log into GBO chat.  That is the only place i get it. Don't have a clue what it means.

504 is a gateway timeout error.  Basically you have a computer somewhere between you and the real server you're trying to access that's acting as a middleman.  Sometimes that's a proxy, sometimes it's just one of the many computers your traffic has to hit on the way to it's destination (try the command 'traceroute' to see each hop that your traffic is hitting on the way to somewhere).  It's timing out on the request (not responding within the allowable timeframe).  Is it happening from work or home (or both)?  Sometimes you'll see that if accessing through a workplace proxy if your corporate IT admin is blocking access to that site (or type of site).

[gunpilot]

Who is McCorden? Infiltrator? Let's hear from some other Graybeard  computer experts.  Are we done ? Has big sister taken us over?Will the elections be fixed and are we doomed to government takeover?

[gunpilot]

If the elections are fixed we have little hope of  regaining the people controlling the government/media complex. If this is true, we are doomed.

[MGMorden]

Who is McCorden? Infiltrator? Let's hear from some other Graybeard  computer experts.

I've a pretty long history on this board.  Not in this particular sub-forum, but I've been around for a long time .  I've got 11 years professional experience in IT (many more from a hobbyist level), and a BS in Computer Science.  I'm not steering you wrong or trolling.   

As a matter of fact, if you really want some good privacy tools for communications, I'll cue you into some good options:

TOR - The Onion Router http://www.torproject.org/

Works as a layered proxy to the web.  You send a request that is wrapped with multiple layers of encryption.  It hops along a route, unwrapping 1 layer of the request at a time, yet adding another of encryption that contains the source of the request each time.  The result is that the invidivdual hops along the way don't know what they're sending nor where it came from.  Once it finally makes it to a final hop the last layer gets peeled off, and the request processed.  It then bounces back to the source using the same method.  The result is a web browsing history that is darned difficult to trace.

FreeNet http://freenetproject.org/

This works similar to TOR, except it doesn't go to the web.  It goes to FreeNet - an underground group of thing similar to websites.  Runs very slow for the most part due to the HEAVY encryption going on (and you have to tolerate a lot of shady stuff going on in this area - anonymity for you means the same to many other people), but it's virtually untraceable.  There was a guy a few years back committed a murder and was posting about it on FreeNet - taunting the police to catch him.  They never did.   While the action is deplorable, the situation does speak to the security of the network.

Finally - OpenVPN.  http://openvpn.net/

An open source implementation of a VPN (Virtual Private Network).  In simple terms, this is a tool that allows you to access a LAN (and hence all of it's server) from across a public network as if you were on the LAN, but with all communications to the LAN encrypted so that no one can tell what you're doing.  I use this tool when traveling for example.  Rather than send my communications of a questionable hotel wireless network, I use their network to VPN back into my home network and access the net through a Squid proxy running at home.   The foreign connection sees nothing I do - all they see is a constant stream of gibberish going to my home network - the real information exchange is happening there and being relayed back.  Now, as a warning, this is one of the more difficult tools to configure, but when setup right, it's more than worth it.

There.  I'm not personally big on conspiracy theories (most of my practices are more to protect against identity theft, which I see as a much more real possibility), but those tools will help you with secure communications regardless of your motives.  We'll save SSH tunneling and audio stenography for another day .

[williamlayton]

MG
You are speaking to a breeze that has a partcularly foul oder---they do not want facts---speculation is much more to their liking.
Blessings