Website still blocked after URL added to allow list in Web Security Service

Products

• Cloud Secure Web Gateway - Cloud SWG

Issue/Introduction

After adding a particular URL to the allow list in the Web Security Service (WSS) portal, the page is still blocked.

Cause

If you're receiving a block page that shows the web page is blocked for a particular category, the URL entered into the allow list is likely not sufficient, since it doesn't include the entire domain.

For example, you add www.gotomypc.com to your allow list, but when you try to visit www.gotomypc.com, you're given a block page with the category 'Remote Access Tools.' This would happen if you've added the category 'Remote Access Tools' to your block list. www.gotomypc.com redirects to get.gotomypc.com, so the allow rule for www.gotomypc.com would not apply anymore.

Resolution

To allow the entire domain instead of just the specific URL, you would need to enter gotomypc.com in the block list instead of www.gotomypc.com. This way, the parent domain is allowed, which automatically allows any child domains or URLs such as www.gotomypc.com