Why is OpenDNS blocking sites in Safari?

Hi...

You need to remove the DNS addresses in System Preferences > Network > Preferences then select the Network tab. Click the Advanced tab then click the DNS tab.

Select one set of numbers then click - (minues) then do the next.

If you don't see:

208.67.222.222

208.67.220.220

Then it's not OpenDNS causing the problem.

Romantic Heretic wrote:

Those two numbers are the only two numbers in Network Preferences.

Then you are using OpenDNS servers to resolve your Domain Names into IP addresses (the numbers for websites)

Doesn't matter if you have a account with them or not, they allow people to use their DNS for free and customized options like content filtering is a added charge requiring a account.

I don't understand why something I'm not using has decided what I can and cannot access on the internet.

Your DNS settings were changed, your choosing to use OpenDNS as you have their numbers typed into your Network Preferences.

OpenDNS is blocking sites with the Flashback malware, and other bad sites, perhaps it actually saved your bacon and you dont know it.

You can choose another DNS service and enter new numbers into your Network Preferences.

Use the free NameBench here and run it, it will test the fastest DNS servers and also you will see your own ISP's DNS servers and can choose what you want to to reset them to. However you might not be getting any online protection.

https://code.google.com/p/namebench/

Only perhaps your own ISP's DNS is not blockling anything, I think Google and OpenDNS etc are all blocking malware/attack sites by default.

If your paranoid, just to let you know everyone is recording everything. There is no privacy on the Internet really, just a illusion of privacy.

Romantic Heretic wrote:

I changed my DNS settings? When?

I did a couple of years ago when I was having speed issues with Safari. It didn't help so I dropped it.

When you ran the OpenDNS program it changed your DNS settings on your computer as assist, either that or you failed to remember entering the DNS settings manually.

Run the free NameBench, when it's finished there will be a list of DNS IP addresses, pick the ones you want and enter them manually into your Network Preferences and reboot.

all done. 🙂

If updating changed my DNS settings why didn't it alert me to this fact?

Well OpenDNS assumes you know what it is.

What happened is someone here pushed you into changing your DNS as a false resolution of your initial problem.

I really don't approve of this behavior and Apple shouldn't allow it. But it CAN fix some issues only if your ISP's DNS is acting up, which usually it doesn't last very long anyway.

If updating did not change my DNS settings why are sites that weren't blocked twelve hours ago blocked now?

OpenDNS may be blocking them now based upon new information or they might not be blocking them at all, you might have another issue.

If OpenDNS is displaying a page from them, then they are blocking it.

What is the name of the site? I'll run a WOT check to see what's going on. 🙂

Did you check your Flash version? The new Safari blocks outdated Flash and if your visting a Flash site that could be the cause.

My Flash stopped working!

Seriously, this makes no sense to me. At what point in time did I give up my right to surf the internet as I wish to somebody else?

You elected to use OpenDNS and you don't understand how the Internet works. That's the problem. 🙂

If you want to complain, complain to the OpenDNS people for not restoring your previous DNS settings when you quit using their service.

I don't want to find a new DNS service. I didn't even know I was using one. Can I trust a new one? How much research am I going to have to do to find a new one I can trust and why on earth should I have to.

Well you can stay where you are, or you can run the NameBench program to find out what your ISP's DNS servers are and use those instead.

Or you can call your ISP and wait on hold, wait for Level 2 as Level 1 tech help are idiots and then ask for the closest DNS servers to your location and reset them in Network Preferences.

You have always used DNS services, the ISP by default is used by everyone.

Alternate DNS services like OpenDNS, GoogleDNS etc., provide alternative services and block malware/attack sites by default, plus OpenDNS provides content filtering.

All DNS services are recording everything for the government to pick through, or for like Google, to profile you online as they are a advertising company and tracking everything your doing online in all sorts of other ways.

Sorry. Seriously angry about this.

You just don't understand that's all, once your done being angry and can think, then run the NameBench program and find your ISP's DNS and enter them into your Network Preferences and reboot.

Pretty easy actually. 🙂

But the blocking message is from OpenDNS, not my ISP.

Right, OpenDNS is blocking the site.

Perhaps some time ago you set some content filtering and forget it, now you forget the password to log into OpenDNS to change the content filtering.

Either that or OpenDNS has determined the site to be malware/attack and is protecting you.

If I knew the site, then I could run a check.

I just don't understand what changed, why and how to change it back.

Well I don't know your location or your ISP your using, what DNS server would be best for you so I can't just can't give you two sets of IP addresses to enter into your Network Preferences > DNS and all is well.

You'll have to find those out for yourself and enter those yourself.

NameBench will tell you that if you run it and select to include the local DNS option.

They are erotic sites and OpenDNS has decided I'm, at 56, not mature enough to go into them.

Then you must have had a old content filtering set, or the sites are hosting illegal or attack sites.

I'm kind of glad for the protection actually, Mac's can get attacked by hostile websites and I have no desire to see illegal material, especially by surprise, makes me want to puke.

Some erotic sites get hijacked or if they determine your not buying, may purposely start dumping you onto illegal sites to poision your hidden caches which can cause a bit of a legal headache, not mention what the community will think of you if your machine is taken in a arrest.

Really one must use a special account for that type of risky surfing, also use Ccleaner and OnyX for OS X afterwards, this way the caches and Flash cookies are cleaned out and your a new person to them each session.

If you came across illegal material by accident your supposed to report it, there is a fed site somewhere, Center for Missing and Exploited Children I think, haven't needed to use it in a very long time since I started understanding how things work and clearing my caches out and using another account, that way I can trash the whole account and scrub the drive with Disk Utility > Erase Free Space option.

Very rare accidents are not a problem, it's understandable it can occur as anyone can click a trick link. get a redirect and many erotic sites are just plain evil.

Romantic Heretic wrote:

Ran Namebench. Got a couple of new DNS numbers, put them into Network Preferences. I'll reboot in a bit. I hope this helps.

Well using another DNS will avoid the blocking you likely set up with them long ago.

Did your wife have access to the OpenDNS account? 😁

Perhaps she was trying to cure your addiction to the Internet erotic material. 😁

Got a couple of new DNS numbers, put them into Network Preferences.

As long as they were not OpenDNS

I still don't understand why updating and doing nothing else suddenly makes sites I use regularly, been using them for years without problems and I know how to check for problems, suddenly causes problems.

I don't know if your having more than one problem or not.

Right now you say you see a OpenDNS blocking a site, and you don't have the password to check on the account to see what the content filtering is, so now your going to use another DNS service.

If you want total freedom and take your chances, then use your ISP's DNS numbers.

Again I suspect someone else likely has changed the content filtering on you. 😁

Also remmember, the DNS can be on the computer AS WELL as on the router.

So once you get your ISP's DNS IP numbers, check your router too.

I have basic OpenDNS. In other words, just the OpenDNS numbers in the Network interface. Never set up any filtering etc. Never did anything at the OpenDNS site. AFAIK, it has never once blocked anything.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenDNS

One of the major advantages to using OpenDNS is that it's patched against DNS poisoning as well blocking connections to the Flashback C&C, which is additional protection -- I suppose that's one example of site blocking, but it's one I certainly don't mind.

It will generally be faster and safer than using the DNS servers of your ISP.

I think his and his wife share the same account, she likely saw his history or something and set the OpenDNS content filtering and then changed the password on him. 😁

It will generally be faster and safer than using the DNS servers of your ISP

Safer yes, but not always faster, depending upon his location it actually can be slower than the ISP servers or another DNS.

That's why I recommended he use NameBench to find the fastest and also find out the IP's of his ISP's DNS in case he wanted to revert back to that.

I had to switch from OpenDNS as they were not fast enough and getting DNS issues when I 3D game.

Romantic Heretic wrote:

Doubtful. We both write erotica. In fact that's how we met.

Also she currently lives in a different country from me. 😉

Well so much for that theory. 😁

The sites I'm blocked from are ones where our work is published.

If there is no content filtering set on your OpenDNS account, your going to have to check with the site also with OpenDNS and others why the site is being blocked.

I don't know if OpenDNS all of a sudden started blocking erotic sites by default, or it has been determining the site you submit content too is malware/attack/illegal in some fashion.

Also it might depend upon the laws in your country too.

That's something to investigate on your own to determine what's the cause.

Hopefully now you should be setup on a new DNS server and all is working?

If not, perhaps you have another issue.