Title

Anonymous FTP user access to interactive scripts must be prohibited. (Cat II impact)

Discussion

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.

Check Content

Locate the directories containing the CGI scripts. These directories should be language-specific (e.g., PERL, ASP, JS, JSP, etc.). Right-click on the web content directory and the related CGI directories. On the Properties tab, examine the access rights for the CGI, cgi-bin, or cgi-shl directories. Anonymous FTP users must not have access to these directories. If the CGI, the cgi-bin, or the cgi-shl directories can be accessed by any group that does not require access, this is a finding.

Fix Text

If the CGI, the cgi-bin, or the cgi-shl directories can be accessed via FTP by any group or user that does not require access, remove permissions to such directories for all but the web administrators and the SAs. Ensure that any such access employs an encrypted connection.

Additional Identifiers

Rule ID: SV-36714r1_rule

Vulnerability ID: V-2270

Group Title: WG430

Expert Comments

CCIs tied to check.

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