
IBM to Start Blocking All Traffic from Iran, Cuba, Sudan, Syria from 1 Feb 2016 - whyleyc
http://knowledgelayer.softlayer.com/faq/softlayer-network-wide-ip-blocking
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whyleyc
We received the communication below from SoftLayer (owned by IBM) yesterday.

Essentially they plan to block all traffic from these countries to _all_
customer servers. What this means:

* Any website or service hosted on SoftLayer servers will automatically go "dark" for anyone in those countries from 1st Feb 2016.

* According to this[1] 2013 report SoftLayer hosts 5,000 of the top 100,000 websites. This means 5% of the most important bits of the web are about to become unavailable to some of the most vulnerable people on the planet.

* IBM are applying this policy to all customers globally, regardless of their business location.

* They have given their customers just 3 days to put together a case for having an exception to this blanket policy, meaning most businesses won't be able to react in time.
    
    
      Start Date: Monday 01-Feb-2016 15:00 UTC
      End Date: Monday 01-Feb-2016 15:01 UTC
      Duration: 1 minute
      Event Type: Planned Event
      Subject: Event 24985077 - Ongoing Actions to Implement Best Practices in SoftLayer Network
    
      / Event Description /
      We are expanding an existing policy, effective February 1, 2016, as part of our regular efforts to implement best practices in the operation of the SoftLayer network.
    
      Currently, at customer sign-up, SoftLayer blocks IP addresses that originate from countries that are subject to U.S. trade and economic sanctions.  At this time, these countries are Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, and Syria.  Starting February 1, 2016, SoftLayer will implement network-wide blocking of these IP addresses.  Expansion of this policy will further prevent the use of SoftLayer services to interact with those countries.  This policy will help to implement the export compliance commitments detailed in SoftLayer’s agreements with its customers.
    
      You can find a brief explanation of how SoftLayer will identify IP addresses from countries subject to U.S. trade and economic sanctions on this KnowledgeLayer article: http://knowledgelayer.softlayer.com/faq/softlayer-network-wide-ip-blocking
    
      Need an Exception?
    
      If you believe your planned interaction with U.S. sanctioned countries is consistent with applicable export compliance rules, you can request an exemption to the IP blocking policy by contacting exemptions@softlayer.com and providing details about why you believe you are eligible for an exception to this policy.   Be sure to explain the nature of your communications involving U.S. sanctioned countries and the regulatory basis for your belief that an exception is warranted.  Our team will then work closely with you to evaluate your situation.  Please note that requests received after January 23, 2016, may not be processed prior to effective date noted above.
    
      Dedicated to Your Success.
    

[1] [http://venturebeat.com/2013/10/23/where-the-worlds-
top-10000...](http://venturebeat.com/2013/10/23/where-the-worlds-
top-100000-websites-are-hosted-infographic/)

