HTTP Error

Severity: Low

What does this mean?

DNS Watchdog resolved the DNS record to an IP address and sent an HTTP request to the web server, but the request did not complete with an HTTP response. This is broader than a failed connection: it covers every case where the scanner came away with no status code at all.

• Connection refused or blocked. Nothing is listening on port 80 or 443, or a firewall dropped the connection attempt.
• Timed out. The server did not answer within the scan timeout.
• TLS handshake failed. The server was reachable, but an encrypted session could not be negotiated.
• Server disconnected without sending a response. The connection was established and the request was sent, but the server closed the connection without returning any HTTP reply, not even an error page.

The Error Message in the issue's technical details says which of these happened.

Why this is a problem

If a DNS record points to a host that does not serve web traffic, it may indicate abandoned infrastructure or a misconfiguration. Users and automated systems that try to reach this domain will see connection failures or timeouts.

A server that accepts the connection and then drops it without replying is often a reverse proxy or load balancer with no backend configured for that hostname. That usually means the record has outlived the service it was created for.

What you should do

• Read the error message to see whether the connection was refused, timed out, failed TLS negotiation, or was dropped by the server
• Verify whether a web server is supposed to be running on this host
• Check that the web server process is running and listening on the correct ports
• If the server disconnected without a response, check that the reverse proxy or load balancer in front of it has a backend configured for this hostname
• Review firewall rules to ensure web traffic is not being blocked unintentionally
• If no web server is needed, consider removing the DNS record or updating it