WordPress + WordFence question

#1

Hi,

I’m not 100% sure this is MXroute related problem, but I’ll explain the scenario and hopefully get an answer. Googling and forum search didn’t provide an answer.

I’ll give details at length, don’t think they are (all) relevant, but in case some are. Will make it structured to save anyone trying to help the time.

  1. Setup
    Using a WordPress website, with WordFence installed.
    Plugin “Easy WP SMTP” is used to set up email sending by the WordPress.
    There, I set up MXroute SMTP and it has worked fine with all the tests I did. Including user confirmation emails when registering on the website, all the notifications (including WordFence’s) etc.

Email used for WordPress (and Wordfence) as “from” is my domain email, that is set up with MXroute.
Let’s call it “relja@mydomain.com”.

I have another email, call it “google@gmail.com”.

  1. What I did
    Wanted to test my website for vulnerabilities.
    First used grabber.
    That resulted in my IP getting blocked by the hosting privder’s WAF.
    Which is good. Logged into my account, unblocked the IP and called that finished.

Then, I did another test using Owasp Zap.
This one was stopped by WordFence, by blocking the IP address.
Which is also fine.

  1. How it should work
    When I went to my website, got the expected WordFence notification of the IP block and an option to enter an email, so WordFence can send an email to that address, containing a few links.

The procedure is: click on a link from the email, enter WordPress website administrator username and password, get to the Wordfence backend and unblock IPs that I want.

  1. The problem
    When I tried entering email relja@mydomain.com, no emails would come to the inbox. Ever.
    Checked spam folder - hasn’t arrived even over 24 hours later.

On the other hand, if I enter gmail (google@gmail.com) address, the unlock email would arrive instantly.

Now, what is a fact: the sender and the receiving emails are both identical in this scenario (relja@mydomain.com). Could that be the problem cause? If not, is there anything else I should check and get back?

EDIT/UPDATE: checked using another website, with a different MXroute set up email (for this test I just mistyped login password several times to get WordFence to block the IP). Didn’t work, that is no reset email was delivered.
Tried entering relja@mydomain.com (also MXroute email) - didn’t work either.
Using gmail email worked with practically instant delivery.

The used MXroute emails are from my single MXroute account, but two different emails for two different domains.

For me personally this is not too much of a problem in and of itself, now that I know how it “behaves”. And I do understand that email delivery, especially with so many stuff in between (WordPress for start, then WordFence, then Gmail) can cause headache.

Still, would prefer knowing how to fix this, or at least figuring out what the problem is.

#2

OK, this can be deleted, or left - in case anyone else has the same “problem” (and to show how stupid I am :slight_smile: ).

Had forgotten to add the MXroute email in WordFence options. As is logical, WordFence would only send IP-unblock email to the email address that is entered in the WordFence backend - for administration.

After changing the email there (WordFence backend) for the MXroute one - it worked perfectly fine.

So a typical PBKAC error (Problem Between the Keyboard And the Chair). :slight_smile:

#4

Writing things down helps me figure things out. Avoid “not seeing a forest from the trees”.
Usually do it before asking others for help. :slight_smile:

Only after inspecting WordFence options had I realised I had forgotten to update the admin email there, it’s a completely separate setup from the WordPress admin email.

#3

Glad you figured it out haha. That was one of the most detailed questions I’ve read in a while :grin:.

1 Like