Access to certain websites is prohibited to protect the security of UC Berkeley
The campus firewall blocks access to certain websites for a variety of reasons:
- It is a known host of malware or phishing*
- It is an untrusted site
- It has not been added to an allow list for our service
If you think there has been a mistake in the blocking of a particular site, please report it to security-firewall@berkeley.edu and include the following:
- The URL of the site
- Date and time access was attempted
- The browser used (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, etc.)
- The connecting computer's IP address (what’s my IP address)
*Blocking malicious sites protects users from receiving malware that could compromise individual computers and/or University systems. Malware is malicious software that can lead to data and identity theft, financial loss, or even permanent deletion of files. Please note, we are not judging the content of the site.
More information on Firewall Services
This service is provided by the bSecure Shared Firewall to deny access to sites known to host malicious software, phishing for information, and/or Command and Control (sites used to manage bot nets and similar).Most outbound traffic to servers and the larger internet is allowed. However, some is blocked due to reported malware at the destination site.
Please be aware that the Shared Firewall operates for an entire network. This means a departmental organization is either behind the firewall or not; we cannot customize rules for individuals within a network or department. If a department manages its own firewall, it can change its security profiles to provide exceptions as necessary. Please contact security-firewall@berkeley.edu for more information or if you have any questions.
To learn more visit our Shared Firewall Service webpage.