Title

System logging must be enabled. (Cat II impact)

Discussion

The server error logs are invaluable because they can also be used to identify potential problems and enable proactive remediation. Log data can reveal anomalous behavior such as “not found” or “unauthorized” errors that may be an evidence of attack attempts. Failure to enable error logging can significantly reduce the ability of Web Administrators to detect or remediate problems. The CustomLog directive specifies the log file, syslog facility, or piped logging utility.

Check Content

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: CustomLog If any enabled CustomLog are not set to logs/access_log combined, this is a finding. Note: This check is applicable to every host and virtual host the web server is supporting.

Fix Text

Edit the httpd.conf file and enter the name, path and level for the CustomLog.

Additional Identifiers

Rule ID: SV-33151r1_rule

Vulnerability ID: V-26281

Group Title: WA00615

Expert Comments

CCIs tied to check.

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