Settings, License & Updates Page

Description: Central location for global settings, licensing status, and update checks. How it works: This page surfaces license state, update availability, and links to module settings so admins can manage the plugin lifecycle. How to access / configure: WP Admin → AegisShield → Settings, License & Updates. Review license status and update status. Apply updates and re-check dashboard health. Recommended setting: Enable automatic updates only if you have backups and a staging workflow; otherwise update during maintenance windows.

Custom Directories for Scanning (Pro)

Description: Add additional directories to include in malware scanning beyond standard WordPress folders. How it works: custom_directories allows you to monitor custom code locations (mu-plugins, custom app folders) for malware. How to access / configure: WP Admin → AegisShield → Malware Scan → Settings (Pro). Add custom directories. Save and run a scan. Recommended setting: Add any custom plugin/theme development folders and mu-plugins.

Scan Directories Selection

Description: Choose which directories are included in malware scanning. How it works: scan_dirs/directories settings determine which paths are traversed during a scan for performance and relevance. How to access / configure: WP Admin → AegisShield → Malware Scan. Select directories to scan. Save (if applicable) and run scan. Recommended setting: Always include plugins and themes; include uploads on sites that allow uploads or have been compromised before.

Handling Mode (What to do with suspects)

Description: Controls how AegisShield handles detected suspicious files (report-only, quarantine/disable patterns depending on implementation). How it works: handling_mode determines whether AegisShield only reports findings or applies an action workflow appropriate for your environment. How to access / configure: WP Admin → AegisShield → Malware Scan → Settings. Choose a handling mode. Save and rerun scan. Recommended setting: Start with report-only; take action only after confirming findings to avoid false positives.

Description: Generates a report of scanned files, suspects, and summary statistics. How it works: Scan results are stored in last_results and last_results_meta for dashboard summaries and follow-up actions. How to access / configure: WP Admin → AegisShield → Malware Scan. Run a scan. Open the latest report to view details and metadata. Recommended setting: Export and retain reports during incident response; compare with Integrity changes.

Description: Defines allowed script sources for CSP (Pro). How it works: builder_script_src and builder_script_mode define which domains/origins are permitted for scripts; can include self, https, specific domains, etc. How to access / configure: WP Admin → AegisShield → Security Headers → CSP Builder. Open Script settings. Add required domains and Save Changes. Recommended setting: Keep script sources as minimal as possible; avoid wide wildcards.

Scan Mode (Light / Full)

Description: Controls how intensive integrity scans are, balancing depth vs. performance. How it works: scan_mode determines the scan strategy, such as a lighter pass for frequent checks versus a deeper pass for audits. How to access / configure: WP Admin → AegisShield → File Integrity. Select Scan Mode. Save and run a scan. Recommended setting: Use Light for scheduled scans; run Full after updates or when investigating an incident.

Description: Exclude known-noisy paths (cache, logs, backups) from integrity monitoring. How it works: Excluded patterns are skipped during scans, reducing false positives and improving performance. How to access / configure: WP Admin → AegisShield → File Integrity. Add paths/patterns to the exclude list. Save changes and rerun scan. Recommended setting: Exclude cache folders and temporary files; do not exclude plugin/theme core files.

Detect New / Modified / Deleted Files

Description: Detects file additions, changes, and deletions in monitored directories. How it works: Each scan compares current directory listings and hashes to the baseline and flags differences as new/modified/deleted. How to access / configure: WP Admin → AegisShield → File Integrity. Run a scan. Use filters to view New / Modified / Deleted findings. Recommended setting: Treat unexpected PHP file changes in plugins/themes/uploads as high priority.

Core Checksum Baselines

Description: Builds a baseline of known-good file checksums to detect unexpected changes. How it works: AegisShield records checksums for monitored paths; later scans compare current checksums against baseline to detect modifications. How to access / configure: WP Admin → AegisShield → File Integrity. Run the baseline/scan to initialize monitoring. Review results for unexpected changes. Recommended setting: Create a fresh baseline right after a clean install and after major updates you trust.