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Wordfence firewall update failed: cURL error 28: Connection timed out

Wordfence tries to download the latest firewall rule set from its update server. The request uses PHP cURL. The server aborts the request after the configured timeout because it fails to establish a connection or complete the TLS handshake. The abort generates cURL error 28 and Wordfence reports the failure.

The timeout occurs when outbound traffic is blocked, DNS does not resolve, network path is slow, or PHP/cURL settings limit the connection time. High server load or outdated libraries also cause the request to exceed the timeout limit.

Symptoms

[dashicons-warning]
Admin notice
WordPress dashboard shows a warning that the firewall update failed with cURL error 28.
[dashicons-shield]
Update button disabled
Wordfence firewall tab displays “Update failed” and prevents rule refresh.
[dashicons-admin-plugins]
Plugin install errors
Theme or plugin installations stop with a cURL error 28 message.

Common Causes

Outbound firewall block
Server‑level firewall or Wordfence firewall blocks outgoing HTTPS requests to updates.wordfence.com.
DNS resolution failure
Incorrect or slow DNS prevents the host name from resolving, causing the request to hang.
Low PHP cURL timeout
cURL timeout setting is too short for the network latency, leading to premature abort.
Outdated cURL library
Old cURL version lacks current TLS support, preventing a successful handshake.
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