Title

The web server must employ cryptographic mechanisms (TLS/DTLS/SSL) preventing the unauthorized disclosure of information during transmission. (Cat I impact)

Discussion

Preventing the disclosure of transmitted information requires that the web server take measures to employ some form of cryptographic mechanism in order to protect the information during transmission. This is usually achieved through the use of Transport Layer Security (TLS). Transmission of data can take place between the web server and a large number of devices/applications external to the web server. Examples are a web client used by a user, a backend database, an audit server, or other web servers in a web cluster. If data is transmitted unencrypted, the data then becomes vulnerable to disclosure. The disclosure may reveal user identifier/password combinations, website code revealing business logic, or other user personal information.

Check Content

Review the web server documentation and deployed configuration to determine whether the transmission of data between the web server and external devices is encrypted. If the web server does not encrypt the transmission, this is a finding.

Fix Text

Configure the web server to encrypt the transmission of data between the web server and external devices.

Additional Identifiers

Rule ID: SV-206434r961632_rule

Vulnerability ID: V-206434

Group Title: SRG-APP-000439

Expert Comments

CCIs tied to check.

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