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XCCDF
APACHE 2.2 Site for Windows Security Technical Implementation Guide
Profiles
III - Administrative Sensitive
III - Administrative Sensitive
An XCCDF Profile
Details
Items
Prose
28 rules organized in 28 groups
WG400
1 Rule
All interactive programs must be placed in a designated directory with appropriate permissions.
Medium Severity
CGI scripts represents one of the most common and exploitable means of compromising a web server. By definition, CGI are executable by the operating system of the host server. While access control is provided via the web service, the execution of CGI programs is not otherwise limited unless the SA or Web Manager takes specific measures. CGI programs can access and alter data files, launch other programs and use the network. CGI programs can be written in any available programming language. C, PERL, PHP, Javascript, VBScript and shell (sh, ksh, bash) are popular choices.
WG410
1 Rule
Interactive scripts used on a web server must have proper access controls.
Medium Severity
The use of CGI scripts represent one of the most common and exploitable means of compromising a web server. By definition, CGI scripts are executable by the operating system of the host server. While access control is provided via the web service, the execution of CGI programs is not limited unless the SA or the Web Manager takes specific measures. CGI programs can access and alter data files, launch other programs, and use the network. CGI programs can be written in any available programming language. C, PERL, PHP, Javascript, VBScript, and shell programs (e.g., sh, ksh, bash, etc.) are popular choices. CGI is a standard for interfacing external applications with information servers, such as HTTP or web servers. The definition of CGI as web-based applications is not to be confused with the more specific .cgi file extension. ASP, JSP, JAVA, and PERL scripts are commonly found in these circumstances. Clarification: This vulnerability, which is related to VMS vulnerability V-2228, requires that appropriate access permissions are applied to CGI files.
WG110
1 Rule
The number of allowed simultaneous requests must be set.
Medium Severity
Resource exhaustion can occur when an unlimited number of concurrent requests are allowed on a web site, facilitating a denial of service attack. Mitigating this kind of attack will include limiting the number of concurrent HTTP/HTTPS requests per IP address and may include, where feasible, limiting parameter values associated with keepalive, (i.e., a parameter used to limit the amount of time a connection may be inactive).
WG170
1 Rule
Each readable web document directory must contain either a default, home, index, or equivalent file.
Low Severity
The goal is to completely control the web users experience in navigating any portion of the web document root directories. Ensuring all web content directories have indexing turned off or at least the equivalent of an index.html file is a significant factor to accomplish this end. Enumeration techniques, such as URL parameter manipulation, rely upon the ability to obtain information about the web server’s directory structure through locating directories without default pages.
WG230
1 Rule
Web server administration must be performed over a secure path or at the local console.
High Severity
Logging into a web server remotely using an unencrypted protocol or service when performing updates and maintenance is a major risk. Data, such as user account, is transmitted in plaintext and can easily be compromised. When performing remote administrative tasks, a protocol or service that encrypts the communication channel must be used. An alternative to remote administration of the web server is to perform web server administration locally at the console. Local administration at the console implies physical access to the server.
WG240
1 Rule
Logs of web server access and errors must be established and maintained.
Medium Severity
A major tool in exploring the web site use, attempted use, unusual conditions, and problems are reported in the access and error logs. In the event of a security incident, these logs can provide the SA and the web manager with valuable information. Without these log files, SAs and web managers are seriously hindered in their efforts to respond appropriately to suspicious or criminal actions targeted at the web site.
WG250
1 Rule
Log file access must be restricted to System Administrators, Web Administrators or Auditors.
Medium Severity
A major tool in exploring the web site use, attempted use, unusual conditions and problems are the access and error logs. In the event of a security incident, these logs can provide the SA and Web Manager with valuable information. To ensure the integrity of the log files and protect the SA and Web Manager from a conflict of interest related to the maintenance of these files, only the members of the Auditors group will be granted permissions to move, copy and delete these files in the course of their duties related to the archiving of these files.
WG260
1 Rule
Only web sites that have been fully reviewed and tested must exist on a production web server.
Medium Severity
In the case of a production web server, areas for content development and testing will not exist, as this type of content is only permissible on a development web site. The process of developing on a functional production web site entails a degree of trial and error and repeated testing. This process is often accomplished in an environment where debugging, sequencing, and formatting of content are the main goals. The opportunity for a malicious user to obtain files that reveal business logic and login schemes is high in this situation. The existence of such immature content on a web server represents a significant security risk that is totally avoidable.
WG290
1 Rule
The web client account access to the content and scripts directories must be limited to read and execute.
High Severity
Excessive permissions for the anonymous web user account are one of the most common faults contributing to the compromise of a web server. If this user is able to upload and execute files on the web server, the organization or owner of the server will no longer have control of the asset.
WG310
1 Rule
A web site must not contain a robots.txt file.
Medium Severity
Search engines are constantly at work on the Internet. Search engines are augmented by agents, often referred to as spiders or bots, which endeavor to capture and catalog web-site content. In turn, these search engines make the content they obtain and catalog available to any public web user. To request that a well behaved search engine not crawl and catalog a site, the web site may contain a file called robots.txt. This file contains directories and files that the web server SA desires not be crawled or cataloged, but this file can also be used, by an attacker or poorly coded search engine, as a directory and file index to a site. This information may be used to reduce an attacker’s time searching and traversing the web site to find files that might be relevant. If information on the web site needs to be protected from search engines and public view, other methods must be used.
WG340
1 Rule
A private web server must utilize an approved TLS version.
Medium Severity
Transport Layer Security (TLS) encryption is a required security setting for a private web server. Encryption of private information is essential to ensuring data confidentiality. If private information is not encrypted, it can be intercepted and easily read by an unauthorized party. A private web server must use a FIPS 140-2 approved TLS version, and all non-FIPS-approved SSL versions must be disabled. FIPS 140-2 approved TLS versions include TLS V1.0 or greater. NIST SP 800-52 specifies the preferred configurations for government systems. The SSLProtocol directive enables or disables SSL/TLS protocols. “SSLProtocol ALL” is a shortcut for enabling SSLv3 and TLSv1 but does not disable lower versions of SSL. Since some Apache versions enable SSL by default, SSL needs to be explicitly disabled, while also enabling TLS. To disable specific SSL Protocols, the –SSLv3 –SSLv2 switches are used with the SSLProtocol directive.
WG350
1 Rule
A private web server must have a valid DoD server certificate.
Medium Severity
This check verifies that DoD is a hosted web site's CA. The certificate is actually a DoD-issued server certificate used by the organization being reviewed. This is used to verify the authenticity of the web site to the user. If the certificate is not for the server (Certificate belongs to), if the certificate is not issued by DoD (Certificate was issued by), or if the current date is not included in the valid date (Certificate is valid from), then there is no assurance that the use of the certificate is valid. The entire purpose of using a certificate is, therefore, compromised.
WG490
1 Rule
Java software on production web servers must be limited to class files and the JAVA virtual machine.
Low Severity
From the source code in a .java or a .jpp file, the Java compiler produces a binary file with an extension of .class. The .java or .jpp file would, therefore, reveal sensitive information regarding an application’s logic and permissions to resources on the server. By contrast, the .class file, because it is intended to be machine independent, is referred to as bytecode. Bytecodes are run by the Java Virtual Machine (JVM), or the Java Runtime Environment (JRE), via a browser configured to permit Java code.
WG430
1 Rule
Anonymous FTP user access to interactive scripts must be prohibited.
Medium Severity
The directories containing the CGI scripts, such as PERL, must not be accessible to anonymous users via FTP. This applies to all directories that contain scripts that can dynamically produce web pages in an interactive manner (i.e., scripts based upon user-provided input). Such scripts contain information that could be used to compromise a web service, access system resources, or deface a web site.
WG460
1 Rule
PERL scripts must use the TAINT option.
Medium Severity
PERL (Practical Extraction and Report Language) is an interpreted language optimized for scanning arbitrary text files, extracting information from those text files, and printing reports based on that information. The language is often used in shell scripting and is intended to be practical, easy to use, and efficient means of generating interactive web pages for the user. Unfortunately, many widely available freeware PERL programs (scripts) are extremely insecure. This is most readily accomplished by a malicious user substituting input to a PERL script during a POST or a GET operation. Consequently, the founders of PERL have developed a mechanism named TAINT that protects the system from malicious input sent from outside the program. When the data is tainted, it cannot be used in programs or functions such as eval(), system(), exec(), pipes, or popen(). The script will exit with a warning message.
WG205
1 Rule
The web document (home) directory must be in a separate partition from the web server’s system files.
Medium Severity
Application partitioning enables an additional security measure by securing user traffic under one security context, while managing system and application files under another. Web content is accessible to an anonymous web user. For such an account to have access to system files of any type is a major security risk that is avoidable and desirable. Failure to partition the system files from the web site documents increases risk of attack via directory traversal, or impede web site availability due to drive space exhaustion.
WG265
1 Rule
The required DoD banner page must be displayed to authenticated users accessing a DoD private website.
Low Severity
A consent banner will be in place to make prospective entrants aware that the website they are about to enter is a DoD web site and their activity is subject to monitoring. The document, DoDI 8500.01, establishes the policy on the use of DoD information systems. It requires the use of a standard Notice and Consent Banner and standard text to be included in user agreements. The requirement for the banner is for websites with security and access controls. These are restricted and not publicly accessible. If the website does not require authentication/authorization for use, then the banner does not need to be present. A manual check of the document root directory for a banner page file (such as banner.html) or navigation to the website via a browser can be used to confirm the information provided from interviewing the web staff.
WG140
1 Rule
Private web servers must require certificates issued from a DoD-authorized Certificate Authority.
Medium Severity
Web sites requiring authentication within the DoD must utilize PKI as an authentication mechanism for web users. Information systems residing behind web servers requiring authorization based on individual identity must use the identity provided by certificate-based authentication to support access control decisions.
WG235
1 Rule
Web Administrators must only use encrypted connections for Document Root directory uploads.
High Severity
Logging in to a web server via an unencrypted protocol or service, to upload documents to the web site, is a risk if proper encryption is not utilized to protect the data being transmitted. An encrypted protocol or service must be used for remote access to web administration tasks.
WG242
1 Rule
Log file data must contain required data elements.
Medium Severity
The use of log files is a critical component of the operation of the Information Systems (IS) used within the DoD, and they can provide invaluable assistance with regard to damage assessment, causation, and the recovery of both affected components and data. They may be used to monitor accidental or intentional misuse of the (IS) and may be used by law enforcement for criminal prosecutions. The use of log files is a requirement within the DoD.
WG255
1 Rule
Access to the web server log files must be restricted to Administrators, the user assigned to run the web server software, Web Manager, and Auditors.
Medium Severity
A major tool in exploring the web site use, attempted use, unusual conditions and problems are the access and error logs. In the event of a security incident, these logs can provide the SA and Web Manager with valuable information. Because of the information that is captured in the logs, it is critical that only authorized individuals have access to the logs.
WG342
1 Rule
Public web servers must use TLS if authentication is required.
Medium Severity
Transport Layer Security (TLS) is optional for a public web server. However, if authentication is being performed, then the use of the TLS protocol is required. Without the use of TLS, the authentication data would be transmitted unencrypted and would become vulnerable to disclosure. Using TLS along with DoD PKI certificates for encryption of the authentication data protects the information from being accessed by all parties on the network. To further protect the authentication data, the web server must use a FIPS 140-2 approved TLS version and all non-FIPS-approved SSL versions must be disabled. FIPS 140-2 approved TLS versions include TLS V1.0 or greater. NIST SP 800-52 specifies the preferred configurations for government systems.
WG610
1 Rule
Web sites must utilize ports, protocols, and services according to PPSM guidelines.
Low Severity
Failure to comply with DoD ports, protocols, and services (PPS) requirements can result in compromise of enclave boundary protections and/or functionality of the automated information system (AIS). The IAM will ensure web servers are configured to use only authorized PPS in accordance with the Network Infrastructure STIG, DoD Instruction 8551.1, Ports, Protocols, and Services Management (PPSM), and the associated Ports, Protocols, and Services (PPS) Assurance Category Assignments List.
WA00605
1 Rule
Error logging must be enabled.
Medium Severity
The server error logs are invaluable because they can also be used to identify potential problems and enable proactive remediation. Log data can reveal anomalous behavior such as “not found” or “unauthorized” errors that may be an evidence of attack attempts. Failure to enable error logging can significantly reduce the ability of Web Administrators to detect or remediate problems.
WA00612
1 Rule
The sites error logs must log the correct format.
Medium Severity
The server error logs are invaluable because they can also be used to identify potential problems and enable proactive remediation. Log data can reveal anomalous behavior such as “not found” or “unauthorized” errors that may be an evidence of attack attempts. Failure to enable error logging can significantly reduce the ability of Web Administrators to detect or remediate problems.
WA00615
1 Rule
System logging must be enabled.
Medium Severity
The server error logs are invaluable because they can also be used to identify potential problems and enable proactive remediation. Log data can reveal anomalous behavior such as “not found” or “unauthorized” errors that may be an evidence of attack attempts. Failure to enable error logging can significantly reduce the ability of Web Administrators to detect or remediate problems. The mod_log_config module provides for flexible logging of client requests. Logs are written in a customizable format, and may be written directly to a file, or to an external program. Conditional logging is provided so that individual requests may be included or excluded from the logs based on characteristics of the request. Three directives are provided by this module: TransferLog to create a log file, LogFormat to set a custom format, and CustomLog to define a log file and format in one step. The TransferLog and CustomLogdirectives can be used multiple times in each server to cause each request to be logged to multiple files. The server error log, whose name and location is set by the ErrorLog directive, is the most important log file. This is the place where Apache httpd will send diagnostic information and record any errors that it encounters in processing requests. It is the first place to look when a problem occurs with starting the server or with the operation of the server, since it will often contain details of what went wrong and how to fix it.
WA00620
1 Rule
The LogLevel directive must be enabled.
Medium Severity
The server error logs are invaluable because they can also be used to identify potential problems and enable proactive remediation. Log data can reveal anomalous behavior such as “not found” or “unauthorized” errors that may be an evidence of attack attempts. Failure to enable error logging can significantly reduce the ability of Web Administrators to detect or remediate problems. While the ErrorLog directive configures the error log file name, the LogLevel directive is used to configure the severity level for the error logs. The log level values are the standard syslog levels: emerg, alert, crit, error, warn, notice, info and debug.
WG210
1 Rule
Web content directories must not be anonymously shared.
Medium Severity
Sharing of web server content is a security risk when a web server is involved. Users accessing the share anonymously could experience privileged access to the content of such directories. Network sharable directories expose those directories and their contents to unnecessary access. Any unnecessary exposure increases the risk that someone could exploit that access and either compromises the web content or cause web server performance problems.