403 error - pcfg_openfile: unable to check htaccess file

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cberragan
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I was trying to alter my root htaccess file and suddenly all my sites showed up with 403 errors. I've tried many forums, but can't find the solution. What should I do to get my website back??
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BradM
Hi cberragan, I'm impressed, you've almost got me stumped on this one! Check error logs when you have a 403 error A 403 error indicates a forbidden error, generally due to permissions. There is an Error Log icon in your cPanel you can click on to get more data about errors on your site, and the problem you're facing appears to be due to this error:
[Tue Feb 21 16:42:16 2012] [crit] [client 174.77.92.170] (13)Permission denied: /home/USER/.htaccess pcfg_openfile: unable to check htaccess file, ensure it is readable
Most often, setting folder permissions back to 755 should resolve this issue I've done a bit of research, and everything points to a permissions related issue and that you should try resetting folder permissions to the default to resolve this. The default permissions for folders should be 755. When reviewing your account, I see several folders with permissions of 744, 750, and 754. I recommend setting these folders back to 755 and then testing again. If you have sub folders within those that are not 755, you'll want to adjust those as well. I'm fairly confident that resetting the folder permissions to 755 will resolve the issue. If this does not work, be sure to post a comment on this question (at the bottom of this page), and I'll be more than happy to review further. Thanks! - Brad