Troubleshooting "Access Denied" Issues with bbc.co.uk

Issue Description

Users in the UK region may experience an "Access Denied" error or unexpected blocking behavior when attempting to access bbc.co.uk or bbc.com. This issue generally persists even if the "News" category is allowed.

Symptoms:

• Users receive an "Access Denied" message in the browser (specifically reported in Edge).

• The site fails to load despite being added to Policy Allow Lists.

• The issue may appear intermittent or affect specific groups (e.g., Staff).

Root Cause

This issue occurs because the BBC website actively rejects connections that are being proxied.

By default, Securly categorizes bbc.co.uk in a way that bypasses the proxy to ensure accessibility. However, if an administrator manually adds bbc.co.uk to a Policy Allow List (Global or Custom), it inadvertently forces the traffic to be proxied for inspection. Once proxied, the BBC server detects the proxy behavior and denies the connection.

Additionally, if Securly DNS is in use, the DNS broker may inspect the traffic, causing the page to be proxied unless specifically exempted.

Resolution

To resolve this issue, you must stop the traffic from being proxied. Please follow the steps below in order.

Step 1: Remove from Policy Allow Lists

You must remove the URL from any standard Allow Lists, as these enforce proxying.

1. Log in to the Securly Filter Console.

2. Navigate to Policy Editor.

3. Check your Global Policy and any specific policies (e.g., Staff, Student).

4. Locate bbc.co.uk or bbc.com in the Allow List.

5. Delete these entries.

Step 2: Add to DNS Allow List

If you are using Securly DNS on your network, you must add the domain to the DNS Allow List to bypass inspection entirely.

1. In the Securly Filter Console, navigate to Settings > Allow/Block.

2. Select the DNS Allow List tab (sometimes located under Global Settings depending on UI version).

3. Add bbc.co.uk.

4. Click Save.

Step 3: Clear Cache

After applying the changes above, ask the affected users to:

1. Clear their browser cache and cookies.

2. Restart the browser.

3. Attempt to access the site again.