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errorWordfence•hourglass_bottomTimeoutlocksslsecurityfirewallerrorcURL error 28•labelCommon•warningModerate

Scan Failed – error connecting to the Wordfence scanning servers

The scan stops because the server cannot reach Wordfence’s cloud API. A cURL error 28 indicates an SSL connection timeout. The request never receives a response, so the scan aborts.

Typical triggers include outbound firewall blocks, IPv6 routing issues, outdated SSL certificates, or PHP limits that stop the request before it finishes.

Symptoms

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Scan fails immediately
Wordfence shows “Scan Failed – error connecting to the Wordfence scanning servers”.
[dashicons-warning]
cURL error 28 displayed
Message reads “cURL error 28: SSL connection timeout”.
[dashicons-warning]
Scan status stuck
Status remains “The current scan looks like it has failed” for several hours.
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No scan results
File Scan list stays empty and activity log only shows a failure entry.

Common Causes

Outbound request blocked
Firewall or hosting rules block HTTPS traffic to Wordfence servers.
SSL handshake timeout
Outdated CA bundle or mismatched TLS version prevents a successful SSL handshake.
IPv6 routing issue
Server attempts IPv6 connection while Wordfence endpoint only supports IPv4.
PHP execution limits
Low max_execution_time or memory_limit aborts the request before a response arrives.
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