Rule ID
SV-36643r1_rule
Version
V1R11
CCIs
None
A major tool in exploring the web site use, attempted use, unusual conditions, and problems are the access and error logs. In the event of a security incident, these logs can provide the SA and the web administrator with valuable information. Because of the information that is captured in the logs, it is critical that only authorized individuals have access to the logs.
Look for the presence of log files at: /usr/local/apache/logs/access_log To ensure the correct location of the log files, examine the "ServerRoot" directive in the htttpd.conf file and then navigate to that directory where you will find a subdirectory for the logs. Determine permissions for log files, from the command line: cd to the directory where the log files are located and enter the command: ls –al *log and note the owner and group permissions on these files. Only the Auditors, Web Managers, Administrators, and the account that runs the web server should have permissions to the files. If any users other than those authorized have read access to the log files, this is a finding.
To ensure the integrity of the data that is being captured in the log files, ensure that only the members of the Auditors group, Administrators, and the user assigned to run the web server software is granted permissions to read the log files.