Unable to complete Wordfence installation

  • Resolved hallrsw

    (@hallrsw)


    2 years, 5 months ago

    I have read a previous response on this topic. The author stated that:
    “I just installed Wordfence free plugin on my WordPress, it asked me to add an email address where it can send security updates (it’s a mandatory step) I added the email but after that I am unable to hit [CONTINUE] and unless that happens I cannot use the plugin”.
    I have the same problem on this a first time install of Wordfence but the suggested solution of disabling plugins is not possible as I am locked from doing anything, accessing Plugins gives me “Forbidden
    You do not have permission to access this document.”.

    Subsequently have found that the htaccess file had been modified by the Wordfence install and that was blocking access to the backend server, hence could not access plugins, pages, media etc.. That has been fixed with help from the site hosts support team and wordfence has been uninstalled.

    My question now is if I reinstall wordfence, will I get the same problem again?

    • This topic was modified 2 years, 5 months ago by hallrsw.
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  • Plugin Support wfpeter

    (@wfpeter)

    Hi @hallrsw, thanks for your question.

    As Wordfence is installed on millions of websites worldwide, the default actions taken upon installation are not designed to require difficult setup on each environment, therefore aren’t commonly found to be breaking sites in this way.

    We have seen some hosts running ModSecurity introduce a new or updated ruleset that could be affecting Wordfence. Naturally your host recently helped you out with this issue, but did they specifically state that they do not support or have seen widespread issues with sites running Wordfence? If not, it could still be worth checking this possibility.

    As a result of the issue possibly arising from the environment your site is hosted on, I can’t guarantee the same problem won’t arise again on your site. Personally, I might try backing up my .htaccess and disabling all other plugins and themes before installing Wordfence on a ‘clean’ WordPress installation. If the site once again reverts to being unavailable, the backed-up .htaccess could be reinstated along with renaming your /wp-content/plugins/wordfence plugin folder to “wordfence_bak” so that you’re able to access your site to re-enable your other plugins/theme once more. You may wish to put your site into maintenance mode during this time so that visitors aren’t affected.

    Thanks,

    Peter.

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