Wordfence using wrong wordfence-waf.php file crashes website

  • Resolved debbietomkies

    (@debbietomkies)


    1 month, 4 weeks ago

    My webhosting company recently had to reinstall my WordPress website from a backup that it held. Prior to doing this, the web hosting company moved the previous version of the site to a folder called effectively called Oldversion. The site is back up and running fine, however I have noticed that the live WordPress site still points towards some of the files in the previous install in the Oldversion folder.

    The main file being accessed from the old site seems to be the wordfence-waf.php file. If I move or rename this file in the Oldversion folder, the website falls over. Every other file in the Oldversion folder can be moved with no issue. I can also rename or move the wordfence-waf.php file in the Live site without the site being affected.

    How can I get Wordfence to use the wordfence-waf.php file in the Live site as it properly should do? Do I need to delete and reinstall Wordfence or can I reconfigure it to be correct?

    Thanks in advance for your help and suggestions to fix this issue.

Viewing 2 replies - 1 through 2 (of 2 total)
  • Plugin Support wfmargaret

    (@wfmargaret)

    Hi @debbietomkies,

    Thanks for reaching out. I recommend removing and then optimizing the firewall again to ensure the firewall optimization uses the correct files. Go to Wordfence > Firewall > Manage WAF. Under Protection Level, click Remove Extended Protection if available. It may take a few minutes to complete.

    Once the extended protection has been removed, the button will change to say Optimize the Wordfence Firewall. Use this to optimize the firewall. If Wordfence detects an existing auto_prepend_file pointed to the Oldversion folder, please select Override and then Continue to optimize the firewall.

    You can find our documentation on this process here: https://www.wordfence.com/help/firewall/optimizing-the-firewall/

    Let me know how it goes!

    Thanks,
    Margaret

    Thread Starter debbietomkies

    (@debbietomkies)

    Hi Margaret,

    Many thanks for your advice. I followed your instructions and am pleased to report that the website now appears to be fixed.

    Thanks again for your help – much appreciated!

    Best wishes,

    Debbie

Viewing 2 replies - 1 through 2 (of 2 total)
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