Beware of Shady Hosting Practices

Have you ever tried to move your hosting to a new provider and found out it was a difficult thing?
Was it a cPanel to cPanel server move yet your new host told you they were not able to connect due to some big errors?

The odds are you have encountered some shady hosting measures to make it difficult for you to move your hosting away from the provider! It is quite common, some providers block remote transfers, others even stop backups from being created.

cPanel hosting providers can implement several measures to block remote transfers and make it more difficult for users to move their accounts to a different hosting provider. Here are some common methods they might use:

Blocking Specific Ports

1. Firewall Rules:

• The hosting provider can block the specific ports used by cPanel for remote transfers, typically port 2083 for secure cPanel access and port 2087 for WHM.
• They can configure the firewall to block outgoing and incoming connections on these ports.

Disabling cPanel API

2. Restricting API Access:

• cPanel transfers rely on API calls. Providers can disable or restrict access to the cPanel API, making it impossible to use automated scripts like getremotecpmove.
• This can be done by modifying the cPanel/WHM settings to disallow API access or by using custom security policies.

Modifying cPanel Configuration

3. Custom cPanel Configurations:

• The hosting provider can modify cPanel’s internal configurations to reject remote transfer requests.
• This might involve editing the cPanel configuration files or using custom scripts to monitor and block transfer attempts.

Rate Limiting and Connection Throttling

4. Rate Limiting:

• By implementing rate limiting or connection throttling, providers can slow down or block multiple attempts to connect to the cPanel service for transfers.
• This makes it difficult to complete a transfer within a reasonable time frame.

Blocking Specific IPs

5. IP Address Blocking:

• Providers can block the IP addresses of known data centers or competitors to prevent them from accessing the cPanel server for transfers.
• This can be implemented through firewall rules or network access control lists (ACLs).

Disabling Backup and Restore Functions

6. Limiting Backup Features:

• Providers might restrict the ability to generate full account backups or disable the restoration feature on their servers.
• By doing so, they prevent users from creating portable backups that can be transferred to a new host.

Monitoring and Manual Intervention

7. Manual Monitoring:

• Providers may have monitoring systems in place to detect transfer attempts and manually intervene to block or disrupt them.
• This could include monitoring for large data transfers or specific patterns associated with account migrations.

Mitigation Strategies

To circumvent these blocks, you might consider the following strategies:

1. Manual Backup and Restore:

• Generate a full backup of your cPanel account manually and download it via FTP or a file manager. Then upload the backup to the new server and restore it.

1. Request Assistance from New Provider:

• Contact your new hosting provider for assistance. They might have experience dealing with such restrictions and can offer alternative methods to transfer your account.

1. Temporary Firewall Rules:

• If you have sufficient control over the source server (e.g., root access), you can temporarily adjust firewall rules to allow the transfer.

1. Using Alternative Ports:

• If the provider has blocked standard ports, consider using alternative ports for the transfer, though this may require configuration changes on both servers.

1. SSH Transfer:

• Use SSH to manually transfer files and databases between servers. This might require more technical knowledge but can bypass some of the automated blocking mechanisms.

If you encounter specific blocks or issues during your transfer, providing detailed information can help in diagnosing and suggesting precise solutions.