What's happening
You’re trying to access a website, but instead you see a message such as Website Blocked, Web Content Blocked, or Secure Connection Failed.
Sophos Home’s Web Protection feature displays these messages when a site is blocked, based on the reason for the block and the type of connection used.
If a website is blocked or detected as malicious, you will see messages such as:
- Website Blocked
- Web Content Blocked
- Secure Connection Failed
The exact message depends on whether the website was accessed using a secure (HTTPS) or insecure (HTTP) connection.
What to do
Important: If the message says the site is classified as malicious, please refer to the article: Setting Scan Exceptions
There are 2 options to manage these messages:
- Add the blocked URL to Website Exceptions in your Sophos Home dashboard.
- Set the Category to Allow (recommended for streaming sites, as they use multiple URLs)
For more details on categories and how to unblock them, see [Web Filtering] Controlling websites my family can access
If you believe the website has been incorrectly categorized, review the URL category using Intelix, and request a recategorization
How to add a Website Exception
IMPORTANT: If the message states that the site is classified as malicious please refer to this article: Setting Scan Exceptions
Create an exclusion
- Sign in to your Sophos Home dashboard.
- Select the computer where the website is blocked.
-
Go to the Web filtering tab.
- Scroll down to Website Exceptions.
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Add the IP address or website domain in the field, then press Enter on your keyboard.
- The added domain will appear below the field. domain below the field.
Verify the Changes
- Try accessing the website on the affected computer to confirm the exception has been applied.
- If the site is still not accessible, you may need to unblock the category instead.
See steps here: [[Web Filtering] Controlling websites my family can access] - Additionally, try a different browser, or clear your cache and reload the website.
- The added domain will appear below the field. domain below the field.
Examples of Website Exceptions
| Type | Entry | Expected behavior |
|---|---|---|
| Domain | cutecats.com | Do not scan any website ending in "cutecats.com". This is what most people will use. |
| Web URL | meow.cutecats.com | Scan content at "cutecats.com" but don't scan "meow.cutecats.com". This is a more advanced option. |
| IP Address | 127.0.0.1 | A specific IP Address can also be used. This example is the Return IP Address (setting an exception for this address can resolve network connectivity issues for applications and websites in some cases). |
How to allow websites by Categories
IMPORTANT: If the message states that the site is classified as malicious please refer to this article: Setting Scan Exceptions
Sophos Home allows users to filter website access by category, rather than individual URLs. Some categories can be complex to manage. For example:
- If the Streaming Media category is set to Block, adding exclusions for specific streaming sites may fail because these sites often use multiple content delivery networks and servers. In such cases, the entire Streaming Media category must be set to Allow.
- Some websites may fall under multiple categories. For instance, a site with a chat feature may be accessible overall, but the chat functionality could be blocked if the Chat category is set to Block.
Steps to allow Categories
- Sign in to your Sophos Home Dashboard
- Click on the computer you want to configure.
- Go to the WEB FILTERING tab.
- Under Website Categories, click the circle under Allow for the category you want to enable.
For more details about categories, see [Web Filtering] Controlling websites my family can access
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