Freedome blocking DNS for needed subdomains of scmp.com

NarrSD

This is a repeat of an issue raised by the in-Freedome feedback email link, since it replies by trying to get you to actually engage support -- which it really should  itself be for....

 

 

Hello – I’ve tracked down a problem to Freedome, or at least your DNS handling.

 

In the last month or two, I’ve kept getting blank or error blocks in web posts from scmp.com, a globally well known (and quite interesting) Hong Kong newspaper.

 

The error blocks turn out to be addressing content from widgets.scmp.com (news video) or multimedia.scmp.com (usually multi-slide presentations).

 

The error indicators when mousing over the blank say something like:

 

The webpage at https://widgets.scmp.com/video/video_iframe.php?id=9y8q2n&poster=https%3A//cdn3.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/video/images/2018/10/29/thumbnail_web_text_1.jpgmight be temporarily down or it may have moved permanently to a new web address

 

And if I try to load the link or just its base url directly on the browser, I get a DNS fail  -- site can’t be located.

 

When I disable Freedome, the url is resolved, and the media plays properly in the  page.

 

You don’t restrict scmp.com itself, so the fault is in not permitting subdomains – I am not thinking you blacklist specific subdomains?

 

Thanks for fixing this,

Clive

[Deleted User]

Hello NarrSD,

 

Could you try to turn off Tracking protection in Freedome and retry loading the page to play the video? May be this article can provide more information to you regarding this.

NarrSD

Yes, I tried the suggestions in the page you referenced.

 

Neither helped or had any effect on this fault.

 

I've given a sample url to the page for that, with a detailed description.

 

Thiss problem is not resolved.

 

It began happening a month or  so ago. Before that there was no problem like this with Freedome. 

[Deleted User]

Hello NarrSD,

 

This is a case where China is blocking users with VPN. The DNS records for those servers mentioned are in Chinese nameservers (ns1.yundunddos.com) and China prevents access from FREEDOME IP addresses to there even when the user would not be within China. We’ve got a knowledge base article about this here.

China has been expanding their VPN blocking considerably in recent times – they’re blocking most of the VPN providers, not just us.

NarrSD

All right, and that's been a lot of fun, Laksh.

 

I don't know why this feeder chain at  F-Secure's support partners couldn't just say this up front...

 

And the Chinese -- this one really is  cutting off nose  despite the face.  South China Morning Post is a wonderful paper, in many regards.

 

Cheers,

Clive