Websites blocked by administrator

Question

Hello hive mind,

I am having a weird issue on my AD Domain network. When trying to access websites I get a message that the website has been blocked by the administrator. The weird thing is that I have checked all of the setting that I can find in GP and all of the blocking settings are disabled. I have a couple of 2012 servers on the network which are being replaced, the rest are 2016 servers. I have attached a screenshot of portal.office.com being blocked. I have tried installing Chrome and Firefox and still get the same message. Doesn't matter if we try to access from a desktop or RDS. I also have Ubiquity routers with all content filtering disabled. Any help would be much appreciated. I haven't found much by Googling.

*** Moved from Microsoft Edge / Website issues / Windows 10 ***

Answer 1

Hi Don Mangiarelli1,

Thank you for posting in the Microsoft Community Forums.

Here are some possible steps and considerations for resolution:

1. Check firewall and security software

Firewalls and security software may be the reason for blocking access to a specific website, even if it is not directly set in Group Policy. Make sure:

Server and router firewalls: Check the firewall settings on your server and router to make sure there are no rules blocking access to portal.office.com.

Third-party security software: If there is third-party security software such as web filters, content filtering software, etc. installed in the network, check its settings to make sure that there is no rule blocking access to the site by mistake.

2. DNS and Domain Name Resolution

DNS resolution issues may also prevent access to the website. Please try the following steps:

DNS server status: check if the DNS server is working properly and is resolving the IP address of portal.office.com correctly.

Local hosts file: Check if there is a modified hosts file on the server, which may redirect a specific domain name to a local IP or a wrong IP.

3. Web Proxy and VPN

Network proxy and VPN settings may interfere with normal network requests. Please check:

Proxy Settings: Check in your browser and system that a proxy server is enabled, which may block or redirect your web requests.

VPN connection: If you are using a VPN to connect to the web, try disconnecting from the VPN connection and re-accessing the site.

4. Browser and Cache Issues

Although you have tried using different browsers (Chrome and Firefox), the following steps are still worth trying:

Clear browser cache and cookies: Sometimes, old cache and cookies may interfere with normal website access.

Browser extensions and plug-ins: check if your browser has installed extensions or plug-ins that may interfere with web access and try to disable them.

5. Network Policy and Routing

Network policies and routing rules may block access to specific websites at the network level. Please consider:

Routing tables: Check your network routing tables to make sure there are no rules redirecting traffic to portal.office.com to other locations.

Network policies: If you have more advanced network policy management tools in your network (e.g., Cisco ISE, Microsoft NPS, etc.), check those policy settings.

6. Server-side configuration

Server configuration may also affect website access. Please check:

IIS or Web server settings: If you have servers running IIS or other Web servers on your network, check the configurations of these servers to make sure they are not blocking access to external Web sites.

Reverse proxies and load balancers: If you have a network that uses reverse proxies or load balancers, check the configuration of these devices.

7. Logging and Monitoring

Viewing logs and monitoring information can help you diagnose problems. Please check:

Firewall and security software logs: These logs may contain detailed information about blocked access.

Logs from Web servers: If the problem is related to Web servers in your network, check the log files from those servers.

Best regards

Neuvi

Answer 2

Neuvi,

Thanks for your reply. I have checked through all of the settings and everything appears normal. I have cleared the browsing data from the browsers. Still getting the same thing.

Here is an example of when I try to go to https://login.microsoftonline.com in Chrome (I get the same thing in Firefox and Edge). The next step after clicking proceed to site anyway, is the Blocked by administrator message.

Answer 3

off Restricted This website has been blocked by your administrator.