Cloudfare Nightmare

newatc

For the last few weeks I've having trouble on numerous sites while using my main Windows 11 laptop using Chrome browser. This includes being refused completely to access some sites, being subjective to further Cloudfare checks slowing up everthing, have some functions not available within a site. I have two other computers (one running Linux and other a low powered Windows 11 PC) and they are not effected.
I had made no changes on my laptop in recent times.

Lots of things have been suggested in searches and I've tried them all including:
Changing IP address
Deleting ccokies, caches, internet history etc
Disabling add-ons
Using Incognito mode
Additional virus checking
Trying new browser (Edge in my case)

Probably other things that have slipped my mind but no success.
Spoken to customer services where I have accounts with but most don't seem to have much idea though one forbidden site did become available after I spoke to them which I assume was they did something but they never came back to inform.

I did find a Cloudfare Test site which came back with various information including saying I wasn't a bot, I was 1% human (thanks a bundle) and my trust score was 0.

Has anyone got any idea how I find what's on my computer that upsets Cloudfare?

jaybeetoo

Earlier today I had Cloudflare pop up to check if I’m a human several times.  This evening it seems OK. Strange.

Yarmy

Hi, I had the same problem yesterday trying to access the website of a local bus company, but it seemed to have sorted itself out this afternoon - not sure if it was anything that I'd done.

Vitor

- saying I wasn't a bot, I was 1% human (thanks a bundle) and my trust score was 0. - 

All those things can't be true, a trust score of 0 means Cloudflare is assessing the connection as being made by a bot or spammer.

Suggest thoroughly uninstall any VPN servuces and all third-party antivirus and rely on Microsoft Defender

newatc

Vitor said:

- saying I wasn't a bot, I was 1% human (thanks a bundle) and my trust score was 0. - 

All those things can't be true, a trust score of 0 means Cloudflare is assessing the connection as being made by a bot or spammer.

Suggest thoroughly uninstall any VPN servuces and all third-party antivirus and rely on Microsoft Defender

I only had Windows Defender when the trouble started. I downloaded 2 others to see if a virus was causing the problem. I've already removed one of those but , as problems were there before, can't see it is the virus but I will give it a go tomorrow. I don't use any VPN services.

For the record, I'm no spammer. 

Thanks for the input.

sausage_time

I'm seeing it a lot too recently.  I'm on Linux, so no Windows Defender (obviously).  Don't use a VPN and no material changes in my setup recently.

onomatopoeia99

newatc said:

Lots of things have been suggested in searches and I've tried them all including:
Changing IP address

How did you do that since your public IP address is assigned by your ISP, you don't get to choose it (I know some providers give a block of addresses but a typical home broadband supplier doesn't).

GardenBirdWatcher

Can't comment on why the OP is having problems being identified as a legitimate visitor, but the reason that so many of you are seeing the Cloudflair tests regularly is due to an increase in bot activity.

I run a couple of small UK focused forums and usually see perhaps a maximum of 100 visitors over the course of a day and have never had problems with the level of traffic until the last couple of months. It got to the stage where according to logs the sites were getting c. 100,000 "visitors" a day, initially from places like China and Hong Kong, which resulted in the sites pretty much grinding to a halt. 

The only way I could stop them was by registering for Cloudflair and initially triggering the verification for all visitors while I figured out what was happening and familiarising myself with the Cloudflair interface to build proper filters to block unwanted traffic but not impact the majority of real visitors. Even now, I occasionally have to put the sites in "under attack" mode and verify everyone if I seen an increase in traffic so that I can tweak the filters.

This is happening to lot of sites and lots of owners are turning to Cloudflaire, and I guess will be going through the same process that I have of trying not to inconvenience real visitors, but keeping the unwanted bots at bay.

newatc

That's interesting @GardenBirdWatcher. I'm amazed at commercial sites that are blocking me and potentially losing business.

@onomatopoeia99 I switched off my router for a few hours and when swiched back on it assigned a new IP address (I use Sky broadband). I must have read that somewhere, I don't have much networking knowledge.