Clear Logs Button (Bring it Back)

… and/or give instructions on how to handle the database tables that are being generated by iThemes Security (which can be very large), …

You’ve probably missed the part below from iThemes official response (Gerroald):

It’s worth noting you can still set how many days you’d like the logs to rotate in your Global Settings.

As of the 6.9.2 release the plugin still includes an automated purge log event in the form of a daily WordPress cron job.

Use the Days to Keep Database Logs setting in the Global Settings module to control the amount of data to be kept. (Note the default value was changed from 14 to 60 days … another reason why the logs table may be bigger today then what you were used to in the past).

The setting allows you to specify 0 days which should result in an empty log once the purge log event kicks off …

Not perfect but it should work …

If your log is still keeping older records then what it should according to the setting described above or it just won’t empty using the method described above you may be running into a known bug.

Thanks for the reminder and tip! We knew this already. The request is simple: Bring back the Clear Logs button.

One thing to note is that the reason iThemes Security gave initially to remove the button is:

3) If someone got into a site that shouldn’t, having a button to easily cover their tracks isn’t a good idea.

And if that’s the case, then lets think about this:

(1) iThemes Security is not performing as intended or not as robust as they claim.

(2) By the time the hacker is in your WordPress dashboard, the least of their worries will be to delete or clear the log. I doubt iThemes Security has processes in place to go after hackers anyway (based on log history). If they do, great we’d like to know about it.

(3) Their procedure given to clear the logs (“Use the Days to Keep Database Logs” using “0”) defeats the purpose of removing the Clear Logs button PLUS it requires end-users to spend more time trying to figure out how to clear the logs.

I know, a love story, but just trying to make a point: When you provide a plugin feature to your customers and they appreciate it or are not complaining about it, don’t take it away!

Cheers!

1. According to the FAQ:

Will this plugin completely stop all attacks on my site?

No. iThemes Security is designed to help improve the security of your WordPress installation from many common attack methods, but it cannot prevent every possible attack. Nothing replaces diligence and good practice. This plugin makes it a little easier for you to apply both.

Many people complain when their site gets hacked and blame the security plugin. Why didn’t the security plugin protect the site ?
Clearly these people have no idea what website security is all about. There is no such thing as 100% site security. It’s all about making it harder to hack a site (not impossible). Any WordPress site can be hacked. Whether a site will be hacked or not depends for a great deal on how much time and effort one has to put into it.
So if your WordPress site got hacked while running ANY security plugin don’t be surprised. Also remember the iTSec plugin is a tool. A good tool in the wrong hands can cause a lot of damage ??

2. Indeed there isn’t.

3. Very true. Though the workaround is not that complicated… (Yes, it’s more complicated than a single click on a button…). If it is too complicated IMHO one should not use a security plugin in the first place.

Anyway iThemes decided to remove the Clear Logs button and came up with weak arguments, but provided a workaround. Despite many many many user requests in favor of the Clear Logs button it’s gone and it won’t come back. Learn from it. Perhaps it’s time to look for another security plugin from an author that listens to their users and comes up with strongs arguments backing up a decision.