Cron Configuration

SecurityCheck Pro uses the Joomla Scheduled Tasks framework (available since Joomla 4.2) to run resource-intensive background jobs - file permission checks, file integrity scans, malware scans, and vulnerability database updates - during periods of low activity.

Scheduled tasks require at least one execution controller to be active. Choose the method that best suits your hosting environment.

Execution controllers

Lazy Scheduler (easiest)

The Lazy Scheduler requires no hosting access or technical configuration. Tasks run the next time any page on your site is visited after the scheduled interval elapses.

Limitation: execution depends on site traffic and is not time-precise. Tasks may run hours late on low-traffic sites, and each page load that triggers a task adds overhead for that visitor.

To enable: go to System > Manage > Scheduled Tasks > Options, open the Lazy Scheduler tab, set it to Enabled, and click Save & Close.

Lazy Scheduler tab enabled in Joomla Scheduled Tasks options

Web Cron

Requires configuring a CRON job using wget or curl. Costs can be significant if you use a third-party CRON service.

To enable: go to System > Manage > Scheduled Tasks > Options, open the Web Cron tab, set it to Enabled, click Save, then click Copy to copy the trigger URL.

Web Cron tab enabled with trigger URL in Scheduled Tasks options

Set up a CRON job in your hosting control panel using the copied URL:

curl -L "https://www.example.com/index.php/component/ajax/?plugin=RunSchedulerWebcron&group=system&format=json&hash=YOURHASH" 1>/dev/null 2>/dev/null

Cron CLI (recommended)

The most reliable and lowest-maintenance method. Recommended for production sites.

Requires SSH or hosting panel access to configure a CRON job.

In your hosting control panel, create a CRON job with the following command:

/path/to/php /path/to/site/cli/joomla.php scheduler:run --all

Replace /path/to/php with the path to your PHP CLI executable and /path/to/site with your site's web root. Set the interval to every minute - Joomla controls which tasks actually run based on their individual schedules.

Hosting control panel CRON job configuration for the CLI scheduler

Joomla scheduled tasks run sequentially, not in parallel. If multiple tasks are queued, the SecurityCheck Pro cron task may not execute on the first trigger. Use the Web Cron URL or CLI controller to minimize this issue.

Configuring the SecurityCheck Pro task

Once a controller is active, configure the task itself. Click the gear button Settings gear icon on the Dashboard, or go to System > Manage > Scheduled Tasks.

Find the task named Securitycheck Pro Cron:

Joomla Scheduled Tasks list showing the Securitycheck Pro Cron task

Open it to configure the execution rule and task parameters:

Securitycheck Pro Cron task edit screen with execution rule

Set the Execution Rule (for example: Interval, unit Days, every 1 day, at 02:00 UTC) and choose which tasks to run under Task Parameters.

When a task is first saved, it is scheduled to run on its next occurrence - not immediately. A task set for daily at 02:00 will first run the following day at 02:00 UTC. You can view the next scheduled run in the Cron module on the Dashboard, or in the task's Execution History tab.

Tip: To manually adjust the next execution time, open phpMyAdmin, navigate to the #__scheduler_tasks table, find the row with securitycheckpro.cron in the type column, and update the next_execution value.