Google Translate URL – 403 error

[Joseph Akintaju]

Hi Guys

Sorry not sure where i should have submitted this issue. When checking my Google Analytic reports i noticed the google translate URL is returning error code 403.

http://www.shoppersbase.com/translate_c?depth=2&nv=1&rurl=translate.google.com&sl=auto&tl=el&u=http://www.shoppersbase.com/36706/could-new-285-hair-cream-by-kerastase-be-the-cure-for-baldness/&usg=ALkJrhgEkr6i7UvWWANNwVcT_tICMUx91w

Please kindly advice me where i need to edit my .htaccess files for this url to be fix.

Thanks for your support.
Joseph

[AITpro Admin]

The Google Translate URL simulates an RFI hacking attempt against your website.  To whitelist the Translate Request URI and Google translate domain do these steps below:

1. Copy the code below to this BPS Root Custom Code text box: CUSTOM CODE PLUGIN/THEME SKIP/BYPASS RULES
2. Click the Save Root Custom Code button.
3. Go to the BPS Security Modes page and click the Root Folder BulletProof Mode Activate button.
Notes: If your WordPress installation is a subfolder installation then add your WordPress folder name in the REQUEST_URI path.  Example:  /My-WordPress-Folder-Name/translate_c.  If you already have an existing skip rule [S=13] in BPS Custom Code, then change the skip rule number to [S=14] for this skip rule and copy skip rule 14 above skip rule 13 in BPS Custom Code.

# Google Translate URL skip/bypass rule
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} ^/translate_c [NC]
RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} url=translate\.google\.com(.*) [NC]
RewriteRule . - [S=13]

[Joseph Akintaju]

Hi

Hmm Still facing the 403 error message after using the above .htaccess codes.. Follow the steps to activate the codes..Not sure what am doing wrong..Please help.. here is a copy of my .htaccess

# CUSTOM CODE PLUGIN/THEME SKIP/BYPASS RULES
# Google Translate URL skip/bypass rule
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} ^/translate_c
RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} url=translate\.google\.com(.*) [NC]
RewriteRule . - [S=13]

# Adminer MySQL management tool data populate
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} ^/wp-content/plugins/adminer/ [NC]
RewriteRule . - [S=12]
# Comment Spam Pack MU Plugin - CAPTCHA images not displaying 
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} ^/wp-content/mu-plugins/custom-anti-spam/ [NC]
RewriteRule . - [S=11]
# Peters Custom Anti-Spam display CAPTCHA Image
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} ^/wp-content/plugins/peters-custom-anti-spam-image/ [NC] 
RewriteRule . - [S=10]
# Status Updater plugin fb connect
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} ^/wp-content/plugins/fb-status-updater/ [NC] 
RewriteRule . - [S=9]

[AITpro Admin]

I checked your website’s Source Code and you are minifying your website pages.  Minification pretty much guarantees that things are going to randomly get broken, intermittenly not work, permanently not work.  Automated Minification is the worst concept that there is.  Manual minification is the ONLY correct way to minify scripts – physically combining scripts.  So most likely you need to turn off minification either permanently or temporarily and clear all of your cache.  Recommendation:  Do not use automated minification since it does not really work and usually just breaks stuff.

Correction to the code above:  This is not critical, but should be used instead since it is a better usage from a code correct standpoint in general.

# Google Translate URL skip/bypass rule
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} ^/translate_c [NC]
RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} url=translate\.google\.com(.*) [NC]
RewriteRule . - [S=13]

[Joseph Akintaju]

Hi

Thanks for your efforts thus far… I have to make sure disable minification and added the new code…am afraid no joy…My thinking is what line in the BPS code response for this or how do i fix this…

Thanks

[AITpro Admin]

The skip/bypass rule/code works on my testing site and there is nothing else in your Request URI and Query String that could be blocked by BPS.  You can try turning off BPS Security Logging and see if you still see a 403 error from your server.  BPS logs all 403 errors, but not all 403 errors are necessarily generated by or caused by BPS.  Example:  BPS definitely was blocking that URI and Query String because it exactly simulates an RFI hacking attempt against your website.  So whitelisting that works perfectly using the code above, but if something on your server is also blocking that hacking attempt then a 403 error will still occur.  To completely eliminate BPS Deactivate Root Folder BulletProof Mode. That turns off Security Logging and creates a default WordPress root .htaccess file without any security code in it. Also you need to clear your plugin cache and your Browser cache to ensure that what you are seeing is current/now and not the past/cached.

On my testing site using the same URL parameters in the URL String you will see a 404 error, NOT a 403 error after whitelisting the hacking attempt string. I assume the 404 error is occurring because the URL is not valid and does not make any sense to me whatsoever since that page cannot exist where the URL is pointing to, but the URL string itself is not being blocked after whitelisting it using the code I posted above.
[link removed – testing example completed]

This Google Translate URL on the other hand does make sense:  http://www.google.com/translate_c?langpair=en&u=http://example.com/bpspro/nextgen-gallery-test/

[Joseph Akintaju]

Hi

I have followed the steps you recommended disabling BPS and yes the pages shows but its error code 404..even though the articles are there.. so this url ….
http://www.shoppersbase.com/translate_c?depth=1&hl=de&rurl=translate.google.ch&sl=fr&tl=es&u=http://www.shoppersbase.com/36092/beauty-on-a-budget-lidl-launches-cosmetic-range-where-every-item-costs-just-1-99/&usg=ALkJrhjXaGySaYec7CE9CPLBVUjiiX4Hqg

is now showing error code 404 but the article itself does exist..fine…
http://www.shoppersbase.com/36092/beauty-on-a-budget-lidl-launches-cosmetic-range-where-every-item-costs-just-1-99/..which is working

I tend to agree with you on this ..the URL doesn’t make sense yet the url source is
translate.google.ch
translate.google.fr
in Google Analytics.. Anyways am activating BPS back and puting the code you gave me..

Thanks for all your efforts.

[Joseph Akintaju]

Hmmm i think this is the properly URL
https://translate.google.com/translate?depth=1&hl=de&prev=search&rurl=translate.google.ch&sl=en&u=http://www.shoppersbase.com/36092/beauty-on-a-budget-lidl-launches-cosmetic-range-where-every-item-costs-just-1-99/

This works Let me activate BPS back..

[AITpro Admin]

Yes.  I believe the issue is that the URL you are using is not valid or is malformed or was created by something that is malforming the URL.  It is a very dangerous and inappropriate URL string so I find it hard to believe that Google would create or recommend using such a dangerous and malformed URL string.

[Joseph Akintaju]

I have re-activated BPS back and tested it with this URL
https://translate.google.com/translate?depth=1&hl=de&prev=search&rurl=translate.google.ch&sl=en&u=http://www.shoppersbase.com/36092/beauty-on-a-budget-lidl-launches-cosmetic-range-where-every-item-costs-just-1-99/

and it works. Because i picked the URL from my Google analytics it automatically added http://www.shoppersbase.com/ to the url in the beginning instead of https://translate.google.com/ so this DOES NOT work or make sense

http://www.shoppersbase.com/translate_c?depth=1&hl=de&prev=search&rurl=translate.google.ch&sl=en&u=http://www.shoppersbase.com/36092/beauty-on-a-budget-lidl-launches-cosmetic-range-where-every-item-costs-just-1-99/&usg=ALkJrhjNoZyZAv_znzw5bvVms0Bk5UDQ8A

BUT this does work
https://translate.google.com/translate?depth=1&hl=de&prev=search&rurl=translate.google.ch&sl=en&u=http://www.shoppersbase.com/36092/beauty-on-a-budget-lidl-launches-cosmetic-range-where-every-item-costs-just-1-99/

So everything is ok and works now. I would like to express my sincere thanks for all your efforts.

[AITpro Admin]

Yep. Your last URL/URI does make sense.  None of the other URL’s made any sense at all.

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