catalog

databases

locations & hours

technical help

the http referrer header

symptoms:

If you see one of the following messages when you attempt to connect to the library databases, the problem may involve blocking of the http referrer header:

• "Authentication failed due to insufficient credentials." [red letters on white page - EBSCO]
• "The IP address of your workstation is not currently recognized by the FirstSearch Service." [white letters on red bar - FirstSearch]
• "1011: ProQuest is unable to authenticate your user account." [ProQuest]

background:

Normally, when you browse the internet and you click a link on a webpage (let's call it Site A) that leads to a different webpage (Site B), your computer sends certain information to site B. Most of it is information that Site B needs in order to fulfill your request for a page, but one piece is more informational: the "HTTP referrer header". When you click a link from Site A to Site B, the HTTP referrer header provides the address of Site A to Site B, where it is typically kept as part of a large archive of information about page accesses. Web administrators will sometimes analyze these archives -- "server logs" -- to learn more about how people are finding and using their sites.

However, some users are concerned about the privacy implications of this information transfer. The risks are quite limited -- the "referrer header" only includes a single URL of the page you were on just a moment before, and it is only sent if you click a link from Site A to Site B (that is, If you are looking at Site A and select a bookmark or enter a URL to reach Site B, no referrer header is sent). However, because of the perception of privacy concerns, several popular personal internet security software products include features that block the "HTTP referrer header" by default -- that is, automatically upon installation and until configured otherwise.

resolution:

Below please find a list of products that we know can interfere with database access. Please click the appropriate product name for more details on correcting the problem.

• Computer Associates eTrust EZ Firewall
• Computer Associates EZ Armor Security Suite
• Norton Internet Security
• Norton Personal Firewall
• ZoneAlarm Pro

If you are experiencing the error messages shown above when you try logging into one of our library databases, but you do not own one of the products listed above, please contact Tammy K. Baker, Technology Librarian, at 832.813.6652 or tammy.k.baker@lonestar.edu for more assistance.