Title

Active software modules must be minimized. (Cat II impact)

Discussion

Modules are the source of Apache httpd servers core and dynamic capabilities. Thus not every module available is needed for operation. Most installations only need a small subset of the modules available. By minimizing the enabled modules to only those that are required, we reduce the number of doors and have therefore reduced the attack surface of the web site. Likewise having fewer modules means less software that could have vulnerabilities.

Check Content

Open a command prompt window. Navigate to the “bin” directory (in many cases this may be [Drive Letter]:\[directory path]\Apache Group\Apache2\bin>). Enter the following command and press Enter: httpd –l. This will provide a list of the loaded modules. Open the httpd.conf file and search for any uncommented LoadModule directives. Any uncommented LoadModule directive statements are loading the respective module. User the findings from both procedures above and discuss with the web administrator why each module is required for operation. If any module is not required for operation, this is a finding. Note: The following modules do not need to be discussed: core_module, win32_module, mpm_winnt_module, http_module, so_module.

Fix Text

Disable any modules that are not needed.

Additional Identifiers

Rule ID: SV-36610r1_rule

Vulnerability ID: V-26285

Group Title: WA00500

Expert Comments

CCIs tied to check.

Controls tied to check. These are derived from the CCIs shown above.