The Culprit Revealed

Yesterday's post, Proceed with ⚠️ was shared after I received a security notice when accessing a few blog sites early yesterday. 

After the notice displayed for one site, I systematically went through all the blog sites on my sidebar and received the same caution for two other blogs.

The notice advised the sites be avoided because: This site might compromise your device or contain high-risk content. To avoid these risks, we recommend avoiding this site.

This struck me as quite unusual and highly unlikely as these blog sites were ones I've been accessing for several years, not some recent sites. All three are listed on my sidebar.

Do I think these sites pose any risk?

Certainly not and also several other bloggers commented that they had previously received similar cautions, which they ignored. Nothing dire happened as a result.

But, of course, I wanted to know more especially why did this message suddenly displayed when these blog sites have been accessed with issue. To be honest, I still do not have a complete answer, but at least determined the source.

Why the Block?

Apparently, it's related to the security provided from our internet provided, Xfinity. According to online information this feature monitors network traffic and blocks a site from loading when it has detected potential dangers that could contain malware, spyware, phishing or other risks that could harm personal devices and/or compromise personal information. The message strongly recommends to avoid the blocked website to protect devices and data. 

What can be done 

Again, according to online sources, when trying to access a website that may have been blocked mistakenly by Advanced Security, it's possible to go to the Security Risk History for a device and select Allow Access next to the website you want to visit. 

Alternately, if you believe the site is legitimate and need to access it, you can carefully evaluate the source of the link or information and consider using a different browser or a more secure connection (like a VPN). 

What's not recommended

While it's possible to disable Advanced Security, doing so would remove security protection for all devices on your network. As we currently have a number of these on our home network, this option will not be completed. 

It's unfortunate that this advanced security feature from our internet provider has blocked certain blog sites, However, Patrick isn't planning to change or modify any security settings.

Personally, I'm hoping that this is a temporary glitch. I'll try to access the selected sites, but will not click Proceed Anyway to ignore the caution. My advance apologies for not being able to read or comment on some many blog sites.

Further Update: It seems that our home internet service is now blocking even more blog sites through a feature called Safe Browse IO, which is not a virus or malware. This security feature is a central element of Xfinity xFi Advanced Security. It blocks access to potentially dangerous or malicious websites, acting as a security layer to protect users from online threats. 

That may be so, but to my mind it's become a downright annoyance and very frustrating.

Again, I do not believe any of these blog sites has harmful information, but I'm not willing to take any chances that could compromise our devices or data. That said, it's possible I may find another way for internet access that doesn't use our home service. There's a Function Room with wi-fi available for residents, which I will use later this week. Details to follow.