IniLerm

Hi spectraemail,

Thank you so much for this excellent and detailed bug report! You are absolutely right, and your suspicion about the object cache is spot-on. This is a fantastic catch and helps us make the plugin better for everyone.

Let me explain exactly what’s happening, as you’ve correctly identified the cause:

1. Dual Record System: When an IP is blocked, the plugin creates two records: a permanent entry in the database list (which you see in the “Blocked IPs” table) and a temporary active flag (a “transient” in WordPress) that tells the plugin to actively block traffic from that IP.
2. The Object Cache Effect: The “Status” column in the table checks for the existence of that temporary active flag. In hosting environments with an aggressive, persistent object cache (like Redis, Memcached, or high-performance server-level caching), a synchronization issue can occur. The temporary flag isn’t immediately read from the fresh cache, so when the table loads, it doesn’t see the “active” flag and incorrectly assumes the block has expired, even though the permanent entry is still there.

The most important thing to know is that the IP block itself is almost certainly still active for real visitors. The issue is primarily a visual glitch in the status column in the admin area.

As an immediate workaround, purging your site’s object cache should resolve the visual discrepancy. You can usually find this option in your hosting control panel or in the settings of your caching plugin (e.g., “Redis Object Cache”, “LiteSpeed Cache”, etc.).

We are about to release version 8.4.4 which includes several other important stability fixes. Thanks to your report, we have already developed a permanent solution for this caching issue, and it is scheduled to be included in the maintenance release that will follow shortly after, version 8.4.5. The fix makes the status check much more robust so it won’t be fooled by a stale cache.

Thank you again for your valuable contribution to improving the plugin. We really appreciate it!

Best regards.

Hi @spectraemail,

Thank you so much for the incredibly valuable feedback and for digging into the plugin’s functionality. These are exactly the kind of questions that help make the plugin better for everyone. Let me address both of your items.

1. Block Duration and Expiration

You’ve likely encountered a limitation in how WordPress transients work. While our plugin lets you enter a large number of minutes for the block duration, WordPress stores this expiration time in its database in a way that can be affected by how it manages its internal cache and scheduled events (WP-Cron). For very long durations (many days or months), some hosting environments or object cache configurations might cause the transient to be cleared earlier than expected.

While we investigate a more robust method for extremely long-term blocks in a future version, the most reliable way to ensure a block is effectively permanent is to set the duration to 0.

For block types like Manual ASN and Manual IP Block, setting the duration to 0 in the settings (or simply not having a specific duration for a manual block) makes them permanent. They will never be automatically cleared by the expiration system. For other temporary block types, we recommend using durations up to a few weeks for maximum reliability. Thank you for bringing this to our attention!

2. Unblocking vs. Whitelisting an IP

You are 100% correct. If you’re on a dynamic IP (like with a VPN), you absolutely do not want to whitelist a temporary IP address. You just want to remove the current block.

The good news is that the plugin is designed for exactly this scenario. The “Whitelist” button in the Security Log is a shortcut for convenience, but the primary tool for managing blocks is the IP Management > Blocked IPs tab.

Here’s the recommended workflow for your situation:

1. Find the Blocked IP: Go to the Security Log and identify the IP address that was blocked.
2. Go to the Blocked IPs Tab: Navigate to IP Management > Blocked IPs.
3. Search and Unblock: Paste the IP address into the search bar on that page to quickly find the entry. Then, simply click the “Unblock” button for that row.

This action will remove that specific IP from all blocklists and clear its temporary block, without adding it to the permanent whitelist. It’s the perfect solution for unblocking a dynamic VPN IP.

For advanced users like yourself, you can also do this instantly via WP-CLI:

• To find the IP: wp advaipbl blocked
• To unblock it: wp advaipbl unblock <the_ip_address>

Thank you again for your excellent questions and for being such an engaged user. This is the kind of feedback that is invaluable to the project’s development.

Best regards.

Thank you so much for your kind words and for taking the time to leave this wonderful feedback! I’m thrilled to hear that you’re finding the plugin well-arranged and easy to set up. My main goal was to create a comprehensive yet user-friendly security tool, so your comment means a lot. I look forward to any further feedback you might have after you’ve had more time to evaluate it. Thanks again!