Mod security - Having problems with mod security

Some hosts have begun to install something called mod_security. This filters posts and URLs for certain key words, and, if they are found, displays an error. Many people are experiencing problems because of this. Problems include weird "403" or access denied errors, login problems, and similar.

For example, if one was to post this: Have you ever used cURL? You can find information about it at http://curl.haxx.se/. More specifically, libcurl is useful for accessing URLs in a program - it could be helpful if you're a programmer.

On a server with mod_security enabled, the poster would get an error. This error is unpreventable by SMF, because it's created by the server and Apache, before SMF even gets a say in anything.

However, depending on your host, it may be possible to disable this unnecessary and unwanted behavior. Since SMF is able to (properly) filter requests without resorting to blindly grasping at keywords, doing so should be completely safe. It is recommended that you talk to your host about having the mod_security filtering rules changed.

To try to disable it, create a file with the name ".htaccess" and put the following in it:

<IfModule mod_security.c>
	# Turn off mod_security filtering.  SMF is a big boy, it doesn't need its hands held.
	SecFilterEngine Off

	# The below probably isn't needed, but better safe than sorry.
	SecFilterScanPOST Off
</IfModule>

Upload it to your server. If you already have a file with that name, you'll want to open it with a text editor such as Notepad, and add the above to it (top or bottom). Create a backup, though, before overwriting anything.

If your host doesn't allow you to disable mod_security, the forum will no longer load. Don't fret if this happens, just delete the .htaccess file or replace it with the backup you made. However, if this happens, you will not be able to disable mod_security's filtering. You can also ask your host if they can disable mod_security for you. If all the above does not work and the host will not disable it for you, maybe it is time to find a new host.