Fix for www.rt.com access errors 'unexpected end of file', 403, 404

Various posts that do not fit in any other category
Ivan

Unread post by Ivan » 2022-3-3 03:48

Script kiddies have been DDoSing, warring governments censoring and the Big Tech blocking Russian news outlet RT (Russia Today @ rt.com). It would be really a shame if there was only one-sided stories available, especially after what has happened with the COVID-19 "news".

From the following partial mirrors (2 link levels) you can read the latest rt.com news:
  • Asia: REMOVED NOT WORKING ANYMORE
  • USA: REMOVED NOT WORKING ANYMORE
RT News Telegram channel is working as well: https://t.me/rtnews
Image You can make your own mirror easily using wget. Here are the command line parameters for creating mirrors such as the ones above:

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wget -r -l 2 --no-remove-listing -kxKE --no-host-directories --referer REMOVED NOT WORKING ANYMORE --random-wait --wait 1 -e robots=off -t 5 https://www.rt.com/
Before you run the code, you need to create an SSL certificate for the site and move to the webroot directory of your mirror. You can schedule the script for example hourly to keep the mirror up-to-date.

Here is a shell script for GNU/Linux that is also checking whether the mirror is already running before starting to update it. You need to replace CAPITALIZED code with your own settings.

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#!/bin/sh

another_instance()
{
    exit 1
}
if [ "$(pgrep THENAMEOFYOURSCRIPT.sh)" != $$ ]; then
     another_instance
fi

cd YOUR_WEBROOT_DIRECTORY
wget -r -l 2 --no-remove-listing -kxKEq --no-host-directories --referer YOUR_MIRROR_SITE --random-wait --wait 1 -e robots=off -t 5 https://www.rt.com/
If you get blocked by the DDoS protection, you can inform them about your mirror by email info@rttv.ru. Leave a reply to my post after your mirror is up and running so others people can find and use it.



Santeri
Posts: 287
Joined: 2017-7-5 09:58

Unread post by Santeri » 2022-3-7 06:48

Thanks for sharing.

They have blocked that Telegram group at least in Finland: "This channel can't be displayed because it violated local laws."
Image Your wget code did not work with new wget version 1.19.4, but I managed to get working using the following arguments

Code: Select all

wget -mkxKE -o log.txt -l 3 --no-use-server-timestamps --referer mymirror.com --random-wait --wait 1 -e robots=off -t 5  https://www.rt.com/ 
My script failed using sh but worked fine with bash
#!/bin/bash
Happy hacking,

Santeri

Janne

Unread post by Janne » 2022-3-11 14:47

Censoring the website is apparently done by blocking dns requests. The website starts working again if you add it statically to your hosts file. Here is the entry you need to add:

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185.178.208.121 www.rt.com
You need to be root to access to edit the hosts file at

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/etc/hosts
In Windows 10 you need to open your text editor using Run as administrator and the hosts file is located at

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C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts
J.

Santeri
Posts: 287
Joined: 2017-7-5 09:58

Unread post by Santeri » 2022-3-14 19:22

Janne wrote:
2022-3-11 14:47
Censoring the website is apparently done by blocking dns requests. The website starts working again if you add it statically to your hosts file. Here is the entry you need to add:

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185.178.208.121 www.rt.com
Thanks for sharing instructions, but they are no longer working. The IP address has changed. The following hosts entry works at the moment:

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91.215.41.10 www.rt.com rt.com

Santeri
Posts: 287
Joined: 2017-7-5 09:58

Unread post by Santeri » 2022-3-15 10:20

The IP address has been changed again. Here are the current HOSTS settings that work:

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185.79.236.174 www.rt.com rt.com 
185.79.236.160 rtd.rt.com
These are changing so often that using a DNS to somewhere outside Europe, that is not censored and controlled, might make more sense than editing the hosts file. There are probably a lot more censored sites than just RT. With a quick look I found these:

https://lv.sputniknews.ru
https://sputniknews.com
https://thepiratebay.org

Guest

Unread post by Guest » 2022-3-19 04:16

IP have changed again. New values to hosts file

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178.176.128.128 cdnen.rt.com cdni.rt.com
185.79.236.174 www.rt.com rt.com 
185.79.236.160 rtd.rt.com

Guest

Unread post by Guest » 2022-3-19 20:58

Ivan wrote:
2022-3-3 03:48
From the following partial mirrors (2 link levels) you can read the latest rt.com news:
  • Asia: REMOVED NOT WORKING ANYMORE
  • USA: REMOVED NOT WORKING ANYMORE
These mirrors are not working but the latest hosts trick does.

Guest

Unread post by Guest » 2022-3-24 15:56

Janne wrote:
2022-3-11 14:47
Censoring the website is apparently done by blocking dns requests.
Indeed. Google public DNS is not blocking any of those sites. Simply use
DNS1 8.8.8.8
DNS2 8.8.4.4

Santeri
Posts: 287
Joined: 2017-7-5 09:58

Unread post by Santeri » 2022-3-27 13:19

Guest wrote:
2022-3-24 15:56
DNS1 8.8.8.8
DNS2 8.8.4.4
Excellent solution. Thank you. Pity Poople can not be trusted anymore. Do you happen to know any open DNS services in Russia or China?

Santeri
Posts: 287
Joined: 2017-7-5 09:58

Unread post by Santeri » 2022-5-17 08:50

Works with android phones, too, if you put to Private DNS provider hostname setting dns.google or 1dot1dot1dot1.cloudflare-dns.com .

Annyjones01
Posts: 3
Joined: 2023-4-17 07:04

Unread post by Annyjones01 » 2023-5-16 11:55

If you are experiencing access errors such as "unexpected end of file," "403 Forbidden," or "404 Not Found" when trying to access the website www.rt.com, here are a few troubleshooting steps you can try:

Clear Browser Cache: Start by clearing your browser cache and cookies. Accumulated cache or outdated cookies might be causing conflicts and preventing you from accessing the website properly. After clearing the cache, try accessing the website again.

Disable Browser Extensions: Browser extensions or plugins can sometimes interfere with website functionality. Temporarily disable any extensions you have installed, especially those related to security or ad-blocking, and see if the website loads properly.

Try a Different Browser: Attempt to access the website using a different browser to determine if the issue is browser-specific. If you have been using Google Chrome, try Firefox, Safari, Microsoft Edge, or another browser of your choice.

Check Your Internet Connection: Verify that your internet connection is stable and working correctly. You can try accessing other websites to ensure the problem is isolated to www.rt.com. If you encounter issues with other websites as well, contact your internet service provider (ISP) for assistance.

Use a VPN (Virtual Private Network): Some internet service providers or geographical regions might impose restrictions or block access to certain websites. Using a VPN service can help bypass such restrictions by connecting to a different server location. Install a reputable VPN service, choose a server in a different location, and attempt to access www.rt.com again.

Contact Website Support: If the issue persists, reach out to the website's support team or administrator. They may be experiencing technical difficulties on their end or be able to provide specific guidance on troubleshooting the access errors you're encountering.

It's worth noting that if the problem persists consistently across multiple devices and networks, it's possible that the issue is with the website itself, and you may need to wait for it to be resolved by the website's administrators.

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