Banned?

What browser are you using when you logged in?  This happened to me yesterday when I was using Opera Mini.  I contacted an administrated, who said they checked my account and I was not Banned.  However I was still getting the banned message. I had to delete my cookies on the opera browser and delete the bookmark I had created on Opera.  This fixed the problem.  I just created a new bookmark after and it is working fine.  I hope this helps some?

Corsairkid is correct...
One of the issues with banner IP's.
Ill bring this up with the admins.

thanks everyone...  yeah, i was browsing from my phone (opera mini) when i got the message...  and it works fine from a desktop and such

was concerned a bit that someone somehow got my username & password and was posting stuff.  :-D  thanks for the information!

i guess it'll be really hard to IP ban if the phones share the same IP address...

Ummmmmm... here's kind of a silly low-tech solution to the problem.

If you know that Sprint mobile-based IP's will always be in the range of 173.x.x.x and you know those IP addresses are shared, then mark that IP address range as immune from being banned. That seems to be a lot simpler solution than suggesting that anyone who acquires a banned IP address needing to shut down their phone and start it back up again with the hope that the next IP address they acquire is also not a banned one.

This is definitely a problem that exists with the site and not the web clients and thus the solution should not be placed on the back of all the web clients.

Thanks

Your points are very valid. In short though, the only time that blocking an IP is appropriate is when the IP is static (not dynamically assigned). Since DHCP was introduced many years ago, dynamically assigned IP addresses have become more and more the norm instead of the exception. Typically speaking, even most corporations will only statically assign IP addresses to servers (not individual clients).

I've found it more appropriate (for my own home network) to block ranges of IP addresses that belong to non-North American organizations as a general rule (what possible need is there for a non-North American site to try getting to my home network?). From there, I will block certain domains that are known to cause trouble. One of the oldest tricks in the book for hackers that they developed over a decade ago was to wreak their havoc and then quickly force themselves to a new IP address.

Thus the whole concept of blocking individual IP addresses is a security concept that's antiquated and ineffectual at best. At worst, it provides the site owner a false sense of security in that since they believe they're protected, they're likely to not be as vigilant at protecting the assets stored on their site.

Thanks

Congrats CorsairKid on a wise decision in your particular case. I won't be so bold as to tell the admins of this site that it would be equally wise for them to do the same as they may have reasons beyond the ones you and I can imagine. And after all, it's their site to manage as they like and the rest of us are all just visitors... and those of us who've gained from the content at this site should be grateful for it.

I've had the privilege of meeting and lunching with on several occasions a gentleman who's perhaps one of the leading computer/network security experts in America (he's often used as one of the talking heads on the various cable news channels out there when the story involves a breach in IT security). I know every single time I listen to him I wind up more worried about computer security than I ever imagined possible... LOL!

It's his contention that the days (and usefulness) of banning individual IP addresses passed more than a decade ago. Similarly (on a slightly connected topic) he feels that if you're using a signature-based antivirus solution (looking for a particular string of characters that's been known to be present in a particular virus) that you're just kidding yourself... and that's been the case for more than the past 5 years (he recommends behaviour-based anti-virus solutions in addition to a host of other approaches).

Keep in mind that unless you have a static IP address assigned to the device with which you're browsing (getting more and more rare with each passing day), the approach of blocking a particular IP address (regardless of whether you're a home, corporate, or mobile user) is likely just a waste of your time and energy providing you with nothing more than a false sense of security.

Thanks