The Apache web server must be protected from being stopped by a non-privileged user.

Overview

Finding ID	Version	Rule ID	IA Controls	Severity
V-214267	AS24-U1-000820	SV-214267r881458_rule		Medium

Description
An attacker has at least two reasons to stop a web server. The first is to cause a denial of service (DoS), and the second is to put in place changes the attacker made to the web server configuration. To prohibit an attacker from stopping the Apache web server, the process ID (pid) of the web server and the utilities used to start/stop it must be protected from access by non-privileged users. By knowing the "pid" and having access to the Apache web server utilities, a non-privileged user has a greater capability of stopping the server, whether intentionally or unintentionally.

Description

An attacker has at least two reasons to stop a web server. The first is to cause a denial of service (DoS), and the second is to put in place changes the attacker made to the web server configuration. To prohibit an attacker from stopping the Apache web server, the process ID (pid) of the web server and the utilities used to start/stop it must be protected from access by non-privileged users. By knowing the "pid" and having access to the Apache web server utilities, a non-privileged user has a greater capability of stopping the server, whether intentionally or unintentionally.

STIG	Date
Apache Server 2.4 UNIX Server Security Technical Implementation Guide	2024-02-21

Details

Check Text ( C-15481r881457_chk )
Review the web server documentation and deployed configuration to determine where the process ID is stored and which utilities are used to start/stop the web server. Locate the httpd.pid file and list its permission set and owner/group # find / -name “httpd.pid Output should be similar to: /run/httpd/httpd.pid # ls -laH /run/httpd/httpd.pid Output should be similar -rw-r--r--. 1 root root 5 Jun 13 03:18 /run/httpd/httpd.pid If the file owner/group is not an administrative service account, this is a finding. If permission set is not 644 or more restrictive, this is a finding. Verify the Apache service utilities (binaries) have the correct permission set and are user/group owned by an administrator account # ls -laH /usr/sbin/service Output should be similar: -rwxr-xr-x. 1 root root 3.2K Aug 19, 2019 /usr/sbin/service # ls -laH /usr/sbin/apachectl Output should be similar: -rwxr-xr-x. 1 root root 4.2K Oct 8, 2019 /usr/sbin/apachectl If the service utilities owner/group is not an administrative service account, this is a finding. If permission set is not 755 or more restrictive, this is a finding.

Check Text ( C-15481r881457_chk )

Review the web server documentation and deployed configuration to determine where the process ID is stored and which utilities are used to start/stop the web server.

Locate the httpd.pid file and list its permission set and owner/group

# find / -name “httpd.pid
Output should be similar to: /run/httpd/httpd.pid

# ls -laH /run/httpd/httpd.pid
Output should be similar -rw-r--r--. 1 root root 5 Jun 13 03:18 /run/httpd/httpd.pid

If the file owner/group is not an administrative service account, this is a finding.

If permission set is not 644 or more restrictive, this is a finding.

Verify the Apache service utilities (binaries) have the correct permission set and are user/group owned by an administrator account

# ls -laH /usr/sbin/service
Output should be similar: -rwxr-xr-x. 1 root root 3.2K Aug 19, 2019 /usr/sbin/service

# ls -laH /usr/sbin/apachectl
Output should be similar: -rwxr-xr-x. 1 root root 4.2K Oct 8, 2019 /usr/sbin/apachectl

If the service utilities owner/group is not an administrative service account, this is a finding.

If permission set is not 755 or more restrictive, this is a finding.

Fix Text (F-15479r277062_fix)
Review the web server documentation and deployed configuration to determine where the process ID is stored and which utilities are used to start/stop the web server. Determine where the "httpd.pid" file is located by running the following command: find / -name "httpd.pid" Run the following commands: # cd <'httpd.pid location'>/ # chown <'service account'> httpd.pid # chmod 644 httpd.pid # cd /usr/sbin # chown <'service account'> service apachectl # chmod 755 service apachectl

Fix Text (F-15479r277062_fix)

Review the web server documentation and deployed configuration to determine where the process ID is stored and which utilities are used to start/stop the web server.

Determine where the "httpd.pid" file is located by running the following command:

find / -name "httpd.pid"

Run the following commands:

# cd <'httpd.pid location'>/
# chown <'service account'> httpd.pid
# chmod 644 httpd.pid
# cd /usr/sbin
# chown <'service account'> service apachectl
# chmod 755 service apachectl