V-214274

Discussion

In addition to OS restrictions, access rights to files and directories can be set on a website using the web server software. That is, in addition to allowing or denying all access rights, a rule can be specified that allows or denies partial access rights. For example, users can be given read-only access rights to files to view the information but not change the files. This check verifies that the htpasswd file is only accessible by system administrators (SAs) or web managers, with the account running the web service having group permissions of read and execute. "htpasswd" is a utility used by Netscape and Apache to provide for password access to designated websites.

Check Content

Locate the htpasswd file using the AuthUserFile directive by entering the following command:

cat /<path_to_file>/httpd.conf | grep -i "AuthUserFile" | awk '{print $2}'

If the above command produces any output, run the "ls -l" command on it; for example:

ls -l /etc/httpd/.htpasswd

Permissions should be: r-x r - x - - - (550)

If permissions on the password file are greater than "550", this is a finding.

Verify the owner is the SA or web manager account.

If another account has access to this file, this is a finding.