Website default location changes- How does this happen?

[john70t]

My default location is completely wrong.
(fwiw, this also occurred with another USA-based company.)

A direct Bing search won't return USA links.


Firefox blocks the USA site.


I allow exception. The USA site is the exact same layout etc.


While on the USA site I click an internal link but suddenly I'm in Australia.


What is going on here?

[masraum]

The "firefox blocks this webpage" happens very frequently these days regardless of where you are surfing from or where you are surfing to. It's a function of the configuration of the site where you are going. You can ignore that.

I assume you're distressed because you are not actually in Oz.

How are you surfing (from where?) your home, work, a hotspot, cell phone?

How about if you go to other places? Is it just that one page that's weird? How about something as simple as google or abc?

[sc_rufctr]

FYI: Motec is an Australian company.

[john70t]

Location USA. Home ISP network and laptop. Haven't tried on other networks.

I am distressed because being automatically routed through other countries could be a security issues, eh?
(but I can't even play that Japanese DVD.)

Also curious to how these things work.

[john70t]

Originally Posted by sc_rufctr

FYI: Motec is an Australian company.

Ok thx. That might explain part of it.
(not that other USA company search results though)

I thought it was German...

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by john70t

Location USA. Home ISP network and laptop. Haven't tried on other networks.

I am distressed because being automatically routed through other countries could be a security issues, eh?
(but I can't even play that Japanese DVD.)

Also curious to how these things work.

If how many hops you make concerns you don’t ever do a trace route.

It’s an irrational concern regardless.

[Gogar]

are you using a VPN ever?

[john70t]

No VPN yet. No Unbutu yet. Still above my pay grade.
Getting closer to.

thx for the explanations.

[id10t]

FWIW the names (the .com and .com.au TLDs) both resolve to the same IP.

Just they didn't properly configure the SSL certificates and redirects.

[john70t]

Was just a bit surprised that a major company would have simple certificate issues (or whatever it's called)
Their host should have warned them and cleared that up 1st day.

[sc_rufctr]

Originally Posted by john70t

Was just a bit surprised that a major company would have simple certificate issues (or whatever it's called)
Their host should have warned them and cleared that up 1st day.

I'm not... "She'll be right"

https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=she%27ll%20be%20right

[cstreit]

Are you using "Private Browsing" or clearing out your cookies. IN many cases if you have disabled "allow my location" this is the only way they have of remembering your previous choices.

[john70t]

Not in private browser mode.
Have only trackers and 3rd party cookies blocked.
Use FF w NoScript. (uBlockOrgin may be on the future list if adverts get any worse)

It switched country location within the website which I found odd. Never experienced that before.

[id10t]

OK... here's what is happening.

http://example.com is set to redirect to https://www.example.com.au
http://www.example.com is set to redirect to https://www.example.com.au
http://www.example.com.au is set to redirect to https://www.example.com.au

All fine and normal, redirecting http to https is fairly standard.

Where it breaks -

https://www.example.com  DOESN'T have a valid security certificate or at least a valid certificate for that name.  So the browser throws an error - and while it is configured to redirect to https://www.example.com.au the SSL error stops that redirect from happening.

Same with

https://example.com

Only valid reason I can think of this is that they are using a commercial SSL certificate provider, so each cert costs them on a yearly basis. I use LetsEncrypt - easy to set up, and free.

Also appears they are reverse proxying/using a load balancing service, and so that may be the reason behind the mis-named SSL certificates, etc.


Edit - crap, the auto URL parsing screwed everything up. Ain't gonna fix it. Not enough coffee yet.

Edit2 - sufficient caffeine intake obtained

[john70t]

That is huge information id10t.
And a thank you for explaining it..simply enough..to understand.

Makes a ton more sense now.

[id10t]

Edited and threw in some CODE tages to keep the URLs from being parsed. Used example.com as per RFC vs the domain your OP contained, don't need to give them more links, etc. too.