403 error ‘Cookie control failed’

Hi @basvweb,

Thanks for reaching out.

We understand that when running the SEO data optimization analysis, your server returned a 403 error when our plugin was making a request to the REST API.

The Yoast plugin uses the WordPress REST API for several features, including SEO data optimization. Therefore, the pathway wp-json/yoast/v1/indexing/prepare/ is a request that our plugin makes to the REST API for scanning posts and indexing them in the website database.

It looks like something on your site/server setups blocks them. Therefore, SEO data optimization cannot be performed.

Because we don’t know your server setup, we cannot determine exactly why the server returns a 403 for the REST API requests made by Yoast. Based on similar issues we receive from other users, this typically occurs due to a security or server setting.

Would you please check the ‘mod_security’ settings that prevent our plugin from accessing the REST API? If there are no ‘mod_security’ settings preventing access at the server, you may have a custom .htaccess rule or security plugin limiting access to the WordPress REST API. Please review any security restrictions and whitelist the Yoast plugin for accessing the feature. You need to whitelist all the yoast.com and my.yoast.com URLs.

If you have a Web Application Firewall (WAF), like Comodo, please verify that it is not set up to strip the parameter from the Yoast REST API requests. Some users have reported that some WAF setups are too strict to prevent Blind SQL injection attacks.

@rohans123 How do I whitelist Yoast in my htaccess?

Hello @basvweb

Your web hosting provider will need to whitelist Yoast SEO-specific files from the security firewall settings to ensure that all Yoast SEO files can work on your site. There’s no IP address for this. They can ensure that the REST API on your site is not blocked & whitelist: yoast.com and my.yoast.com.

Therefore, please get in touch with your web hosting provider and forward our message to them or ask them for more information on what types of security firewall they’re running.

This thread was marked resolved due to a lack of activity, but you’re always welcome to re-open the topic. Please read this post before opening a new request.

Hi @maybellyne

My host doesn’t see a problem.. Is there something to add to the .htaccess or wp-config? I really need this to work…

@maybellyne The optimalisation finally ran without problems. But it didn’t do anything for the speed of the backend. I fear that I will be looking for another SEO plugin. With Yoast it takes 18 seconds to load a product in the backend and without Yoast 2 seconds.