Technical summary
What are the current Free and Pro managed-rule actions in Aegisify WAF 1.20.13, and how does global WAF mode affect enforcement? controls deterministic request inspection and matching for common web-attack techniques, custom rules, managed signatures, and heuristics. This article is grounded in the supplied Aegisify WAF 1.20.13 plugin package. It documents current behavior and defaults rather than relying on older FAQ wording.
Current-version correction
Do not use the old blanket statement that Free is always forced to Log. WAF 1.20.13 stores separate managed_rules.mode_free and managed_rules.mode_pro values and the current storage/UI default for both is Block. The authoritative global WAF rollout mode can still downgrade effective enforcement while the site is in Observe or Learn, which is why administrators should review non-blocking evidence before enabling global enforcement. A legacy fallback to Log exists only when an older/missing Free mode value is encountered in certain code paths; it is not the current shipped stored default.
Where administrators configure or verify it
Primary wp-admin path: wp-admin → Aegisify WAF → WAF Rules / Settings. Exact controls can be distributed across the related tab/page when the feature is composed of multiple engines.
Current 1.20.13 defaults and related controls
The table below lists settings in the supplied current source that are directly related to this topic. The current default/bound/status shown is code-derived. Where the product does not define a named Medium preset, the shipped default is documented as the baseline operating point rather than inventing a value.
| Setting | Current default / bound / status | Why this default | How to tune safely |
|---|---|---|---|
waf.mode |
observe | “observe” is the shipped baseline so administrators can collect evidence and verify normal traffic or behavior before moving to stronger enforcement where applicable. | Use the shipped observation mode while establishing a baseline. Move toward enforcement only when logs show the signal is reliable. Returning to monitor/observe is preferable to disabling a control entirely during false-positive tuning. |
managed_rules.enabled |
ON / true | Enabled in the shipped baseline because the control provides broadly useful visibility, validation, compatibility, or protection without requiring a site-specific value. | ON activates the behavior; OFF removes that specific behavior. Use OFF only when the control is intentionally unnecessary, another trusted layer owns the function, or a compatibility investigation proves the control is involved. Re-enable after testing when protection is still required. |
managed_rules.mode_free |
block | Block is the shipped enforcement choice for this specific control, indicating that the current product considers a positive match sufficiently high confidence to stop by default. | Where this control exposes Off / Monitor / Block: Off disables its decision path; Monitor records/evaluates without blocking; Block enforces the decision. Start with Monitor for uncertain traffic, then move to Block after reviewing false positives and exceptions. |
managed_rules.mode_pro |
block | Block is the shipped enforcement choice for this specific control, indicating that the current product considers a positive match sufficiently high confidence to stop by default. | Where this control exposes Off / Monitor / Block: Off disables its decision path; Monitor records/evaluates without blocking; Block enforces the decision. Start with Monitor for uncertain traffic, then move to Block after reviewing false positives and exceptions. |
managed_rules.sensitivity |
balanced | “balanced” is the shipped baseline and is the closest current code-defined baseline/medium operating point. Use stricter behavior only after reviewing site-specific evidence. | Treat the shipped value as the baseline/medium operating point. A stricter profile generally increases sensitivity and may increase false positives or workload; a more permissive profile generally reduces intervention but can allow more unwanted activity. |
managed_rules.challenge.enabled |
ON / true | Enabled in the shipped baseline because the control provides broadly useful visibility, validation, compatibility, or protection without requiring a site-specific value. | ON activates the behavior; OFF removes that specific behavior. Use OFF only when the control is intentionally unnecessary, another trusted layer owns the function, or a compatibility investigation proves the control is involved. Re-enable after testing when protection is still required. |
Adjustment strategy
Change one control at a time, save it through the product UI, reproduce the legitimate and malicious/test flow, and review the product log/status surface. For enforcement controls, use Monitor/Observe first when normal behavior is uncertain; move to Block only after the signal is reliable. For thresholds, do not jump directly from the default to an extreme unless an active incident requires emergency containment and a recovery path exists.
Operational guidance
On a production WordPress site, a sudden block spike after a plugin/API deployment should first be investigated in WAF logs. Narrow the issue to the exact route, rule family, client identity, or payload characteristic. Prefer a precise exclusion/allowlist or threshold adjustment over disabling broad protection.
Technical keywords
Aegisify WAF, 1.20.13, abuse, action, audit, block, challenge, ddos, event, events, forced, limit, log, logging, logs, max
Source baseline
Verified package: Aegisify WAF 1.20.13. Primary source files: includes/class-aegiswaf-storage.php; includes/class-aegiswaf-ai-security.php; includes/class-aegiswaf-api-security.php; includes/class-aegiswaf-managed-rules.php; includes/ddos/class-aegiswaf-ddos-storage.php; includes/admin/pages/class-aegiswaf-page-waf-rules.php; includes/admin/pages/class-aegiswaf-page-logs.php; includes/admin/pages/class-aegiswaf-page-access.php. If a future plugin version changes these settings, support should re-read the installed version rather than carry these defaults forward automatically.