Public web servers must use TLS if authentication is required.

Overview

Finding ID	Version	Rule ID	IA Controls	Severity
V-13694	WG342 W22	SV-28565r2_rule	ECCT-1 ECCT-2	Medium

Description
TLS encryption is optional for a public web server. However, if authentication and encryption are used, then the use of TLS is required. Transactions encrypted with DoD PKI certificates are necessary when information being transferred is not intended to be accessed by all parties on the network.

STIG	Date
APACHE SITE 2.2 for Windows	2011-12-12

Details

Check Text ( C-33792r1_chk )
Verify that the ssl module is loaded. Open a command prompt and run the following command from the directory when httpd.exe is located: httpd –M This will provide a list of all the loaded modules. Verify that the “ssl_module” is loaded. If this module is not found, this is a finding. After determining that the ssl module is active, locate the Apache httpd.conf file. If unable to locate the file, perform a search of the system to find the location of the file. Open the httpd.conf file with an editor such as notepad, and search for the following uncommented directives: SSLProtocol & SSLEngine For all enabled SSLProtocol directives ensure they are set to “TLSv1”. If the SSLProtocol directive is not set to TLSv1, this is a finding. For all enabled SSLEngine directives ensure they are set to “on”. Both the SSLProtocol and SSLEngine directives must be set correctly or this is a finding. NOTE: In some cases web servers are configured in an environment to support load balancing. This configuration most likely utilizes a content switch to control traffic to the various web servers. In this situation, the TLS certificate for the web sites may be installed on the content switch versus the individual web sites. This solution is acceptable as long as the web servers are isolated from the general population LAN. We do not want users to have the ability to bypass the content switch to access the web sites.

Check Text ( C-33792r1_chk )

Verify that the ssl module is loaded. Open a command prompt and run the following command from the directory when httpd.exe is located: httpd –M

This will provide a list of all the loaded modules. Verify that the “ssl_module” is loaded. If this module is not found, this is a finding.

After determining that the ssl module is active, locate the Apache httpd.conf file.

If unable to locate the file, perform a search of the system to find the location of the file.

Open the httpd.conf file with an editor such as notepad, and search for the following uncommented directives: SSLProtocol & SSLEngine

For all enabled SSLProtocol directives ensure they are set to “TLSv1”. If the SSLProtocol directive is not set to TLSv1, this is a finding.

For all enabled SSLEngine directives ensure they are set to “on”.

Both the SSLProtocol and SSLEngine directives must be set correctly or this is a finding.

NOTE: In some cases web servers are configured in an environment to support load balancing. This configuration most likely utilizes a content switch to control traffic to the various web servers. In this situation, the TLS certificate for the web sites may be installed on the content switch versus the individual web sites. This solution is acceptable as long as the web servers are isolated from the general population LAN. We do not want users to have the ability to bypass the content switch to access the web sites.

Fix Text (F-31045r1_fix)
Edit the httpd.conf file to load the ssl_module; set the SSLProtocol to TLSv1; and set the SSLEngine to On.