Title: Sudden fatal error
Last modified: September 1, 2016

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# Sudden fatal error

 *  Resolved [bonzo01](https://wordpress.org/support/users/bonzo01/)
 * (@bonzo01)
 * [9 years, 10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/sudden-fatal-error/)
 * So I’ve been using NinjaFirewall for months now, and it has been working great,
   until today. All of a sudden I’m getting a fatal error saying: “Unable to communicate
   with the firewall. Please check your PHP INI settings. Review your installation,
   your site is not protected.”
 * The php ini file has not been changed so I’m not sure what’s going on. I’m also
   getting file check detection alerts on email as usual, so it hasn’t totally shut
   down, but when I try to reach the NinjaFirewall settings in my admin panel the
   plugin seems to want to install NinjaFirewall, as if it wasn’t installed. But
   it is still listed and activated under installed plugins. And as I said, it worked
   fine until recently.
 * I just noticed there was an upgrade to the plugin as well. I’m able to update,
   but still getting the fatal error.
 * [https://wordpress.org/plugins/ninjafirewall/](https://wordpress.org/plugins/ninjafirewall/)

Viewing 4 replies - 1 through 4 (of 4 total)

 *  Plugin Author [nintechnet](https://wordpress.org/support/users/nintechnet/)
 * (@nintechnet)
 * [9 years, 10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/sudden-fatal-error/#post-7540155)
 * Hi
 * Are you using a php.ini or .user.ini? Can you double check the NinjaFirewall `
   auto_prepend_file` directive in that file to make sure it is enabled and pointing
   to the correct script?
 * You can also test your config with that script: [http://nintechnet.com/share/wp-check.txt](http://nintechnet.com/share/wp-check.txt)
 *  Thread Starter [bonzo01](https://wordpress.org/support/users/bonzo01/)
 * (@bonzo01)
 * [9 years, 10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/sudden-fatal-error/#post-7540293)
 * Sorry, didn’t mean to say php.ini there as I’m using .user.ini. To be honest 
   I don’t know the difference 🙂 What I meant to say was that the .user.ini hasn’t
   been changed since the plugin was working and that the auto_prepend_file directive
   is pointing to ..ninjafirewall/lib/firewall.php. The full path of course and 
   it looks correct, as it did before when it was working.
 * But I did the test and under auto_prepend_file is says “none” and that NinjaFirewall
   is not loaded.
 *  Plugin Author [nintechnet](https://wordpress.org/support/users/nintechnet/)
 * (@nintechnet)
 * [9 years, 10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/sudden-fatal-error/#post-7540327)
 * Can you ask your host if they made changes to PHP lately (upgrades, new restrictions
   etc)? That could be the reason why you get problems although you did not change
   anything.
 * You could also try to rename the ‘.user.ini’ to ‘php.ini’ and run the test script
   again.
 *  Thread Starter [bonzo01](https://wordpress.org/support/users/bonzo01/)
 * (@bonzo01)
 * [9 years, 10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/sudden-fatal-error/#post-7540349)
 * Tried the rename, but got the same result. Also talked to my host, but there 
   have been no changes lately.
 * So I went ahead and uninstalled and reinstalled the plugin. And now it works.
   No errors and I can once again access all the settings. Weird, but I guess it’s
   working again 🙂

Viewing 4 replies - 1 through 4 (of 4 total)

The topic ‘Sudden fatal error’ is closed to new replies.

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## Tags

 * [fatal error](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/fatal-error/)

 * 4 replies
 * 2 participants
 * Last reply from: [bonzo01](https://wordpress.org/support/users/bonzo01/)
 * Last activity: [9 years, 10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/sudden-fatal-error/#post-7540349)
 * Status: resolved