IP Blocker in cPanel: block abusive visitors safely
Use cPanel IP Blocker to deny specific IP addresses or ranges from your website, understand what it does not block,
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cPanel IP Blocker denies selected visitors from accessing your websites over HTTP and HTTPS. It is useful for stopping a known abusive source after you have confirmed the IP in access logs, error logs, security logs, or application logs.
What IP Blocker does
Blocked visitors usually receive a 403 Forbidden response. cPanel manages the underlying web-server rules for you, so you do not need to manually edit .htaccess for simple blocks.
Block an IP address
- Log in to cPanel.
- Open Security and choose IP Blocker.
- Enter the IP address, such as
203.0.113.10. - Click Add.
Test carefully if you are blocking an office, VPN, or proxy range so you do not block legitimate users.
Block ranges
| Format | Example | What it blocks |
|---|---|---|
| Single IP | 203.0.113.10 | One address. |
| CIDR range | 203.0.113.0/24 | A subnet range. |
| Range | 203.0.113.10-203.0.113.50 | A specific start-to-end range. |
| Partial IP | 203.0.113. | All addresses matching the prefix, if accepted by your cPanel version. |
Remove a block
- Open cPanel IP Blocker.
- Find the entry under currently blocked IP addresses.
- Click Delete or the removal option shown by your cPanel theme.
The removal takes effect immediately, although browser or proxy caches can make old responses appear briefly.
Good use cases
- A specific IP is scraping pages aggressively and appears in Raw Access logs.
- A repeated attacker is hitting WordPress login or XML-RPC from one source.
- A known malicious scanner is causing 403/404 noise or resource usage.
- You need a temporary web-only block while investigating abuse.
Limitations
- IP Blocker affects website traffic. It does not block FTP, email, cPanel, or database logins.
- Attackers can change IP addresses, use proxies, or move to another network.
- Large range blocks can affect legitimate visitors.
- For broad bot traffic, use Cloudflare, application rate limits, or server-side firewall tools where available.
Related: Raw access logs in cPanel: download and analyze website traffic | Advanced .htaccess in cPanel: redirects, PHP settings, and access rules | Leech Protection in cPanel: limit shared password access | Hotlink Protection in cPanel: stop external sites using your files | How to secure your website
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