Technical summary
How should Heuristic tuning (score threshold, encoding threshold, meta threshold, token length) be configured in Aegisify WAF, and what is the current default? is part of the WAF request-inspection, enforcement, visibility, or exception-management surface. 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.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
managed_rules.thresholds.heuristic |
50 | The shipped value of 50 is the current baseline threshold or capacity. It is intentionally finite so the control can provide useful protection or bounded resource use without starting at an extreme. | For abuse/rate thresholds, a lower number is generally more aggressive and can stop attacks sooner but may affect legitimate bursts; a higher number is more tolerant but allows more activity before intervention. Change incrementally and validate against logs. |
managed_rules.heuristics.action |
log | “log” 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.heuristics.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.heuristics.meta_threshold |
12 | The shipped value of 12 is the current baseline threshold or capacity. It is intentionally finite so the control can provide useful protection or bounded resource use without starting at an extreme. | For abuse/rate thresholds, a lower number is generally more aggressive and can stop attacks sooner but may affect legitimate bursts; a higher number is more tolerant but allows more activity before intervention. Change incrementally and validate against logs. |
managed_rules.heuristics.pct_threshold |
8 | The shipped value of 8 is the current baseline threshold or capacity. It is intentionally finite so the control can provide useful protection or bounded resource use without starting at an extreme. | For abuse/rate thresholds, a lower number is generally more aggressive and can stop attacks sooner but may affect legitimate bursts; a higher number is more tolerant but allows more activity before intervention. Change incrementally and validate against logs. |
managed_rules.heuristics.score_threshold |
40 | The shipped value of 40 is the current baseline threshold or capacity. It is intentionally finite so the control can provide useful protection or bounded resource use without starting at an extreme. | For abuse/rate thresholds, a lower number is generally more aggressive and can stop attacks sooner but may affect legitimate bursts; a higher number is more tolerant but allows more activity before intervention. Change incrementally and validate against logs. |
managed_rules.heuristics.token_len_threshold |
900 | The shipped value of 900 is the current baseline threshold or capacity. It is intentionally finite so the control can provide useful protection or bounded resource use without starting at an extreme. | For abuse/rate thresholds, a lower number is generally more aggressive and can stop attacks sooner but may affect legitimate bursts; a higher number is more tolerant but allows more activity before intervention. Change incrementally and validate against logs. |
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
Use the feature’s logs and current request evidence as the tuning source. Compare normal traffic with the event that triggered the control, then change only the smallest setting required.
Technical keywords
Aegisify WAF, 1.20.13, encoding, heuristic, length, meta, score, threshold, token, tuning, managed_rules, thresholds, heuristics, action, enabled, meta_threshold
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.