Protect an International Store

If you sell globally and cannot block entire countries, you need a targeted approach that stops fraud and bots without blocking real customers. This guide covers the recommended setup.

The Challenge

International stores cannot rely on country blocking as their primary defense. Blocking entire countries risks losing legitimate customers. Instead, the strategy focuses on detecting and blocking bad actors regardless of where they are located.

Step 1: Enable VPN and Bot Blocking

These are your primary defenses for a global store.

1. Go to VPN & Bot Blocker from your dashboard.
2. Enable VPN & Proxy Blocking — detects visitors hiding their identity.
3. Keep “Block all VPN users” off — some legitimate customers use VPNs.
4. Keep “Allow business VPNs” on — avoids blocking corporate network users.
5. Enable Bot Protection — catches automated threats.
6. Keep “Enable strict blocking” off initially. Enable it only if you see high volumes of bot traffic getting through.
7. Click Save.

Step 2: Enable Content Protection

Protect your product content from scrapers and competitors.

1. Go to Content Protection from your dashboard.
2. Enable:
   • Protect images
   • Protect text content
   • Disable right-click
   • Disable copy
   • Block developer tools
   • Disable keyboard shortcuts

Step 3: Enable Auto-Block Fraud IPs (Pro)

For stores that receive fraudulent orders, auto-blocking ensures that IPs from high-risk orders are blocked automatically.

1. Go to Analytics > Fraud Orders.
2. Enable the Auto-Block Fraud IPs toggle.
3. Set the threshold to 70% (default) — this blocks IPs from orders scored as Critical or High risk.

Step 4: Monitor and React

Since you cannot preemptively block countries, ongoing monitoring is important.

Review Analytics Regularly

• Check Analytics > Blocked IPs for patterns in blocked traffic.
• Check Analytics > Fraud Orders for flagged orders.
• Look at Top Network Providers to identify suspicious ISPs or cloud providers.

Block Problem IPs Manually

If you identify specific IPs causing issues:

1. Go to IP Blocker.
2. Click Create IP block.
3. Use the IP range (CIDR) match condition when possible — blocking a range is more effective than blocking individual IPs since attackers often use multiple IPs from the same provider.

Block Problem ASNs (Pro)

If a specific network provider is a consistent source of bad traffic:

1. Go to ASN Blocker.
2. Add the provider’s ASN.

Step 5: Whitelist Trusted IPs

If you have offices, warehouses, or partners that access your store regularly, whitelist their IPs to ensure they are never accidentally blocked.

1. Go to IP Blocker.
2. Click Create IP block.
3. Set Block type to Whitelist.
4. Enter the IP address(es).
5. Click Save.

Whitelisted IPs bypass all blocking rules.

Recommended Configuration Summary

Next Steps

• Stop Bot Fraud — Detailed bot protection and fraud prevention.
• Block Cloud Providers — Block specific hosting providers used by bots.
• Fraud Orders — Review and act on flagged orders.