Can't reach https://www.gay-torrents.net

[M1lw4uk33 2]

Recently all AirVPN servers started being blocked by https://www.gay-torrents.net . I have left a message on their forum. I am not sure what else can be done. Admins any advice?

[valdi 0]

Cant reach gay-torrents.net.
The site is also checked on the "routes"-tool.
 

[M1lw4uk33 2]

The problem seems to have resolved. It is now reachable from AirVPN again. Oddly, the route checking tool (https://airvpn.org/routes/) continues to show every AirVPN server as failing with the site. So I am not sure if the tool is borked or not?

Edited ... by M1lw4uk33

[M1lw4uk33 2]

Valdi, the site appears to be working now for me.

[M1lw4uk33 2]

... and the problem has reappeared as of today. Sigh.

After an initial investigation of the issue, it appears that AirVPN keeps getting all their subnets blacklisted as the result of a few bad actors that subscribe to your service. You have a no log/no filtering policy, so a few bad apples spoils it for the rest of us.

I subscribe to you because of the privacy, but if I can't use the service because it is always blacklisted, then I will have no option but to NOT renew when my subscription runs out (a few years from now).

You need to come up with a way to provide strong privacy and yet have a usable service, cause what you are providing now sucks in the end.

Edited ... by M1lw4uk33

[Redorkulated 2]

FYI - I raised a support ticket a couple of days ago about this.

They have said they need to investigate how to circumvent a block on AirVPN's DNS servers by the authoritative DNS servers that GT use.

Will keep you posted on their progress.

[Redorkulated 2]

I am currently able to connect to website and tracker via UK Westerlund server.

The routes tool still shows all servers failing to connect using http 🤷‍♂️

[M1lw4uk33 2]

Still blocked for me on North American servers. Sigh.

It would be interesting to know who is implementing that DNS block on the servers that GT references. Cause whatever issue they feel they are 'fixing', it's causing problems for other innocent parties.

[Staff 9972]

Hello!

We have been invited by the support team to enter a message in this thread. Thanks @Redorkulated for having pointed the support team to this thread. Remember that we, as AirVPN staff, do not have the time to read all the messages of all the community forums and reply to them. Community forums remain a gift to the community and we try periodically to intervene and assist but for a professional help in a definite time remember that you must contact the support team via a ticket or by writing to support@airvpn.org
 

The message by the support dep. follows.

Kind regards
AirVPN Staff

-----------

Hello!

The block enforced by the authoritative DNS is probably out of the control of the web site maintainers. We could not find a reliable way to contact them: no replies so far and they do not declare public contact addresses. Currently we do not have a solution server side, we're sorry. However, the block is only for the name resolution so you could consider a solution client side. You have basically three alternative options to use a non-VPN DNS to access the web site through AirVPN. Please make sure to use private DNS and not your ISP DNS (we recommend Quad9, address 9.9.9.9, for their commitment to privacy and neutrality):

1. configure Eddie not to use VPN DNS in "Preferences" > "DNS" window. Enter you favorite DNS addresses, switch the "DNS switch mode" combo box to "Disabled" and uncheck "Check Air VPN DNS".
2. force the correct resolution (to address 109.201.142.161) through your hosts file (in this case you can keep using VPN DNS) (*)
3. enable DNS over HTTPS on your browser

(*) in this case the solution is practical because the web site has only one IP address and does not use CDN, so you just need one entry once and for all (to be changed only if they change IP address or domain name).

How to edit the hosts file in various OS and enter the entry you wish:
https://linuxize.com/post/how-to-edit-your-hosts-file/

How to enable DNS over HTTPS on Firefox (check similar instructions for your browser):
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/firefox-dns-over-https
 

After you have applied one of the options above, you will be able to resolve the FQDN. If any additional block against our VPN server is in place (this time from the web server itself) please try from Netherlands servers. We have tested a lot of them and they can all access the web site, again provided that the name resolution is performed not with VPN DNS.

We will invite the AirVPN staff to write this message in the thread of the forum you warned us about in your other ticket of yours (or you can just paste this message of ours in the forum if you prefer so).

Kind regards

AirVPN Support Team

 

[M1lw4uk33 2]

Doh. Why did I not think of that ...

Overriding the DNS in my /etc/hosts as we speak.

Tested, works.

[M1lw4uk33 2]

Sigh. Now their image CDN is blocking as well and the DNS override does not cure it.