{"id":194,"date":"2021-06-24T10:42:56","date_gmt":"2021-06-24T10:42:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/?p=194"},"modified":"2021-10-11T09:38:20","modified_gmt":"2021-10-11T09:38:20","slug":"wordfence-manually-refresh-rules","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wordfence-manually-refresh-rules\/","title":{"rendered":"Wordfence Manually Refresh Rules (Explained)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The Wordfence plugin runs regular downloads of new and updated security rules from the central Wordfence servers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Occasionally, the plugin fails to connect or download the latest rules. Your WordPress dashboard will show a warning message.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Many Wordfence users have difficulty finding the option to manually refresh the rules. This article gives you step-by-step instructions on how to do this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The other problem is that the warning message doesn\u2019t go away. We\u2019ll give you some advice on how to get rid of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_64 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-66112afbde874\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-66112afbde874\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wordfence-manually-refresh-rules\/#Wordfence_Rules_Update_Failed\" title=\"Wordfence Rules Update Failed\">Wordfence Rules Update Failed<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wordfence-manually-refresh-rules\/#How_To_Manually_Refresh_Rules_In_Wordfence\" title=\"How To Manually Refresh Rules In Wordfence\">How To Manually Refresh Rules In Wordfence<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wordfence-manually-refresh-rules\/#Why_Doesnt_The_Warning_Message_Go_Away\" title=\"Why Doesn\u2019t The Warning Message Go Away?\">Why Doesn\u2019t The Warning Message Go Away?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wordfence-manually-refresh-rules\/#Dealing_With_A_Specific_Issue_On_Your_Site\" title=\"Dealing With A Specific Issue On Your Site\">Dealing With A Specific Issue On Your Site<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wordfence-manually-refresh-rules\/#Sending_A_Diagnostic_Report_To_Wordfence\" title=\"Sending A Diagnostic Report To Wordfence\">Sending A Diagnostic Report To Wordfence<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wordfence-manually-refresh-rules\/#More_About_Wordfence\" title=\"More About Wordfence\">More About Wordfence<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Wordfence_Rules_Update_Failed\"><\/span>Wordfence Rules Update Failed<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>You know you have the problem when you see a warning message at the top of the Wordfence dashboard:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"138\" src=\"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/warning_message-1024x138.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-198\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/warning_message-1024x138.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/warning_message-300x40.jpg 300w, https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/warning_message-768x103.jpg 768w, https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/warning_message.jpg 1084w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p><em>The last rules update for the Wordfence Web Application Firewall was unsuccessful\u2026this site may be missing new rules added since then.<\/em><\/p><p><em>You may wait for the next automatic attempt at [date]\u2026or try to Manually Update by clicking the &#8220;Manually Refresh Rules&#8221; button below the Rules list.<\/em><\/p><p><\/p><cite>Wordfence warning message<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>You have the option of waiting a few days for the next automatic attempt. However, you\u2019ll keep seeing the warning message when you log into your WordPress account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You\u2019ll probably prefer not to wait and leave your site in any way vulnerable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But if you\u2019re like me, you\u2019ll be clicking around the Wordfence dashboard \u2013 trying and failing to find that refresh button.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Read on for instructions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_To_Manually_Refresh_Rules_In_Wordfence\"><\/span>How To Manually Refresh Rules In Wordfence<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Have you been looking for the link to update the rules in Wordfence? It\u2019s not easy to find.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s a step-by-step pictorial guide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step 1: Open the Firewall tab in the Wordfence menu<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step 2: Click on the \u201cAll Firewall Options\u201d link in the middle-right of the page<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"414\" height=\"98\" src=\"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/all_firewall_options.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-195\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/all_firewall_options.jpg 414w, https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/all_firewall_options-300x71.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 414px) 100vw, 414px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>This opens the Firewall Options page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step 3. Scroll down to the \u201cAdvanced Firewall Options\u201d section<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step 4: Find the \u201cRules\u201d section further down the page<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The display shows about nine rules. The refresh button is below this display.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"439\" height=\"423\" src=\"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/manually_refresh_rules_button.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-196\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/manually_refresh_rules_button.jpg 439w, https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/manually_refresh_rules_button-300x289.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 439px) 100vw, 439px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step 5: Click on the \u201cManually Refresh Rules\u201d button<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_Doesnt_The_Warning_Message_Go_Away\"><\/span>Why Doesn\u2019t The Warning Message Go Away?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Have you clicked the refresh button several times, but the warning message persists at the top of the page?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Wait for a few minutes<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>I noticed that the message persisted for a few minutes while I continued to use the WordPress dashboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That suggests that there is some caching involved. You simply need to wait for a short while and it will probably go away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What if the message won\u2019t go away?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2020, many WordFence users reported that the warning message persisted for days. This was despite repeatedly hitting the refresh button.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Even deactivating and reactivating the plugin didn\u2019t make the problem go away. The company eventually fixed the issue with an update to the plugin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Before you take drastic measures (like uninstalling the plugin), I suggest you check on WordPress.org to see if this is a general problem for many users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If there are plenty of people complaining, you can probably just wait for the company to release an update.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But what if nobody else is reporting the same issue when you are experiencing it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Dealing_With_A_Specific_Issue_On_Your_Site\"><\/span>Dealing With A Specific Issue On Your Site<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019ve taken a look through support issues raised on the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.wordpress.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">WordPress.org<\/a> site and how they were resolved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Specific issues tend to be due to one of the following causes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Wordfence server maintenance<\/li><li>Your hosting provider is blocking access to the Wordfence servers<\/li><li>Problems with permissions rules on your site<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>You will probably need help diagnosing these kinds of issues. The Wordfence support staff respond quickly to issues raised via WordPress.org.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They will likely ask you to send them a diagnostic report. So to speed things up a little, you can send that when you first raise the issue. I\u2019ll give you instructions in the next section on how to do so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here, I\u2019ll run through the most common reasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Wordfence server maintenance<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The basic problem is usually that your local plugin couldn\u2019t connect to the nearest server to download the updates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Wordfence staff will use your diagnostic report to check the exact time that the plugin failed to connect. They will tell you if this coincided with maintenance on their servers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, you won\u2019t need to worry about this as it\u2019s a temporary issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Hosting provider blocking Wordfence servers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The support staff may ask you to contact your hosting provider to check if their firewall rules are preventing your plugin from connecting to the Wordfence servers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Wordfence response should give you the names of their servers. When you contact your hosting support, give them the info about the Wordfence servers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Permissions issue on your site<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>When your <a href=\"http:\/\/www.wordfence.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Wordfence<\/a> plugin refreshes its rules, it is actually updating a file on your WordPress site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, if the plugin is blocked from updating the file then you\u2019ll see the Wordfence warning message.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There can be several reasons why the plugin suddenly can\u2019t overwrite the file. One likely cause is that you recently installed separate security software that is \u201cprotecting\u201d your site by stopping the updates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You\u2019ll just have to figure out how to allow the updates. This is the file in question:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>\/var\/www\/html\/wp-content\/wflogs\/rules.php<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Sending_A_Diagnostic_Report_To_Wordfence\"><\/span>Sending A Diagnostic Report To Wordfence<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When you report the issue on the WordPress.org site, they will likely ask you to send a diagnostic report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s how to do it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Click the \u201cTool\u201d link under the Wordfence side menu and open the Diagnostics tab.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"617\" height=\"271\" src=\"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/send_diagnostics.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-197\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/send_diagnostics.jpg 617w, https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/send_diagnostics-300x132.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 617px) 100vw, 617px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Before you first report an issue on WordPress.org, you can use the Export button here to export a TXT file. You can attach this file to your support request.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Alternatively, the Wordfence support staff may ask you to contact them by email.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To do so, use the \u201cSend Report By Email\u201d button which will expand to show a dialog box. Enter your forum username and hit the Send button.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"More_About_Wordfence\"><\/span>More About Wordfence<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you&#8217;re new to using this plugin, check out our <a href=\"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/guide-to-wordfence\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"167\">beginner&#8217;s guide to Wordfence<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Wordfence plugin runs regular downloads of new and updated security rules from the central Wordfence servers. Occasionally, the plugin fails to connect or download the latest rules. Your WordPress dashboard will show a warning message. Many Wordfence users have difficulty finding the option to manually refresh the rules. This article gives you step-by-step instructions &#8230; <a title=\"Wordfence Manually Refresh Rules (Explained)\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wordfence-manually-refresh-rules\/\" aria-label=\"More on Wordfence Manually Refresh Rules (Explained)\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/194"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=194"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/194\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":317,"href":"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/194\/revisions\/317"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=194"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=194"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=194"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}