Internal Server Error 500 using Wordpress

[kiwiot]

I have wordpress installed on one of my sites hosted on cpanel65. I recently went to update a page using the wp-admin section causing an internal server error on the site.

Example of error from error logs

[Thu Mar 05 03:17:55 2009] [alert] [client 221.153.65.71] /public_html/.htaccess: Invalid command 'SecFilterEngine', perhaps misspelled or defined by a module not included in the server configuration, referer: http://site/wp-admin/page.php?action=edit&post=442

It seems as if the .htaccess file is being over-written

Original .htacces

# BEGIN WordPress
<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
RewriteEngine On
RewriteBase /
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteRule . /index.php [L]
</IfModule>

# END WordPress

After Server Error .htaccess

# BEGIN WordPress
<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
RewriteEngine On
RewriteBase /
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteRule . /index.php [L]
</IfModule>

#BEGIN Image Upload HTTP Error Fix
<IfModule mod_security.c>
<Files async-upload.php>
SecFilterEngine Off
SecFilterScanPOST Off
</Files>
</IfModule>
<IfModule security_module>
<Files async-upload.php>
SecFilterEngine Off
SecFilterScanPOST Off
</Files>
</IfModule>
<IfModule security2_module>
<Files async-upload.php>
SecFilterEngine Off
SecFilterScanPOST Off
</Files>
</IfModule>
#END Image Upload HTTP Error Fix

# END WordPress

I have never encountered this error before and from the little I can find it is something to do with the ModSecurity 2.

Help is appreciated.

Regards,
Jared

[ZYV]

Have a look at this thread: http://forums.dathorn.com/showthread.php?t=3461 . I would remove the whole block beginning with #BEGIN Image Upload HTTP Error Fix, unless something doesn't work properly. I have latest WordPress installed on one of my domains with mod_security enabled and nobody ever complained that something doesn't work.

Also be warned that disabling mod_security is a security impact. I wouldn't do that unless this is something you can't really put up with.

[kiwiot]

The extra stuff on the 2nd .htaccess was not added by me. It is automatically being added by wordpress when I try to update a page through the admin section.

When this gets written to the .htaccess it causes the 500 server error.

I don't know exactly why it is being written to the .htaccess.

[kiwiot]

found the error.

Seems to be the plugin Image Upload HTTP Error Fix 1.1 causing the issues. Once deactivated the server error does not occur