Check: WA000-WWA026 A24
Apache Server 2.4 Unix:
WA000-WWA026 A24
(in version v1 r1)
Title
The httpd.conf StartServers directive must be set properly. (Cat II impact)
Discussion
These requirements are set to mitigate the effects of several types of denial of service attacks. Although there is some latitude concerning the settings themselves, the requirements attempt to provide reasonable limits for the protection of the web server. If necessary, these limits can be adjusted to accommodate the operational requirement of a given system. From Apache.org: The StartServers directive sets the number of child server processes created on startup. As the number of processes is dynamically controlled depending on the load, there is usually little reason to adjust this parameter. The default value differs from MPM to MPM. worker and event default to StartServers 3; prefork defaults to 5; mpmt_os2 defaults to 2.
Check Content
To view the StartServers value enter the following command: find / -name httpd.conf -print -exec grep -H -i "StartServers" {} \; If the value of "StartServers" is not between 5 and 10, this is a finding. If the directive does not exist, this is NOT a finding because it will default to 5. It is recommended that the directive be explicitly set to prevent unexpected results if the defaults change with updated software. NOTE: This vulnerability can be documented locally with the ISSM/ISSO if the site has operational reasons for the use of increased or decreased value. If the site has this documentation, this should be marked as Not a Finding.
Fix Text
Edit the httpd.conf file and set the value of "StartServer" to a value between 5 and 10, add the directive if it does not exist.
Additional Identifiers
Rule ID:
Vulnerability ID: V-13727
Group Title:
Expert Comments
CCIs
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No CCIs are assigned to this check |
Controls
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No controls are assigned to this check |