Technical summary
How does Bad User-Agent blocking (token contains match; blocks) work in Aegisify WAF, and what should administrators verify? governs deterministic inspection of AI-facing traffic, including prompt-injection signals, sensitive-data handling, provider/model policy, agentic action controls, signed actions, and resource budgets. 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 → AI Security. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
bot.bad_ua_list |
curl wget python-requests httpclient |
“curl wget python-requests httpclient ” is the exact shipped value in the current version. It is preserved as the baseline because the plugin code defines it as the default rather than deriving it from the old FAQ text. |
Keep the shipped value unless a documented site requirement calls for a different mode or identifier. Validate the change in the feature’s logs/status view and roll back if behavior becomes less reliable. |
bot.block_bad_ua |
ON / true | Enabled in the shipped baseline as the product’s current safe operating choice for this control. | 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. |
bot.crawler_policies.agent |
compatible | “compatible” is the exact shipped value in the current version. It is preserved as the baseline because the plugin code defines it as the default rather than deriving it from the old FAQ text. | Keep the shipped value unless a documented site requirement calls for a different mode or identifier. Validate the change in the feature’s logs/status view and roll back if behavior becomes less reliable. |
common_attacks.credential_distinct_user_limit |
6 | The shipped value of 6 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. |
wp_protect.rest_block_user_enum |
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. |
bot.crawler_policies.ads |
standard | “standard” is the exact shipped value in the current version. It is preserved as the baseline because the plugin code defines it as the default rather than deriving it from the old FAQ text. | Keep the shipped value unless a documented site requirement calls for a different mode or identifier. Validate the change in the feature’s logs/status view and roll back if behavior becomes less reliable. |
bot.crawler_policies.other |
standard | “standard” is the exact shipped value in the current version. It is preserved as the baseline because the plugin code defines it as the default rather than deriving it from the old FAQ text. | Keep the shipped value unless a documented site requirement calls for a different mode or identifier. Validate the change in the feature’s logs/status view and roll back if behavior becomes less reliable. |
bot.crawler_policies.search |
compatible | “compatible” is the exact shipped value in the current version. It is preserved as the baseline because the plugin code defines it as the default rather than deriving it from the old FAQ text. | Keep the shipped value unless a documented site requirement calls for a different mode or identifier. Validate the change in the feature’s logs/status view and roll back if behavior becomes less reliable. |
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, agent, bad, blocking, blocks, contains, match, token, user, bot, bad_ua_list, block_bad_ua, crawler_policies, common_attacks, credential_distinct_user_limit
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.