Auditing web servers and web applications are the processes of evaluating the security of these systems to ensure that they are configured and maintained in a secure manner. The audit checks the systems against established security policies, best practices, and industry standards. The purpose of auditing is to identify potential security risks and vulnerabilities and make recommendations for improving the security posture of the systems.
The audit can cover various aspects of the systems, including the configuration of the web server, the security of web applications, database security, network security, and data backup and recovery procedures. The audit may also include penetration testing and vulnerability scanning to simulate real-world attacks and identify any security weaknesses.
Scope of this Audit:
The scope of a web server and web application audit can vary based on the specific needs of the organization and the systems being audited. However, the typical scope of the audit may include:
- Configuration of the web server: Evaluating the security of the web server’s configuration, including access control, encryption, and error logging.
- Web application security: Reviewing the security of the web applications installed on the server, including authentication and authorization, input validation, and error handling.
- Database security: Assessing the security of the databases used by the web applications, including access control, encryption, and backup and recovery procedures.
- Network security: Checking the security of the network, including firewalls, routing, and remote access.
- Data backup and recovery: Evaluating the procedures in place for backing up and recovering data, including data integrity and confidentiality.
- Compliance: Verifying that the systems comply with relevant regulations, standards, and industry best practices, such as PCI DSS, HIPAA, and OWASP.
- Physical security: Evaluating the physical security of the systems, including access controls, environmental controls, and backup power.
- Logs and event management: Review the logs and events generated by the systems to identify potential security incidents.
Tools:
- BackTrack
- Burp Suite
- Samurai Web Testing Framework
- Web Sleuth
- Paros Proxy
- WebInspect
- Nikto
- XSS plug-in for Nessus
- Apache JMeter
- Google Skipfish
Steps of Auditing Web Servers/Applications:
The operations involved in auditing web servers and web applications typically include the following steps:
- Preparation: Gathering information about the systems to be audited, including network diagrams, inventory of software and hardware, and documentation of policies and procedures.
- Scanning: Conduct initial scans to identify open ports, installed software, and other details about the systems.
- Assessment: Evaluating the systems against established security policies and best practices, including analyzing system configuration files, user accounts, and permissions, network security, and data backup and recovery procedures.
- Testing: Verifying the findings of the assessment by conducting penetration testing, vulnerability scans, or other methods to simulate real-world attacks and identify any security weaknesses.
- Reporting: Documenting the findings of the audit and providing recommendations for improving the security posture of the systems.
- Remediation: Implementing the recommendations made during the audit to improve the security of the systems.
- Follow-up: Performing follow-up assessments to verify that the remediation efforts have been successful and that the systems remain secure.
Checklist for Auditing Web Servers
- Verify that the web server is running on a dedicated system and not in conjunction with other critical applications.
- Verify that the web server is fully patched and updated with the latest approved code.
- Verify that unnecessary services, modules, objects, and APIs are removed or disabled. Running services and modules should be operating under the least privileged accounts.
- Verify that only appropriate protocols and ports are allowed to access the web server.
- Verify that accounts allowing access to the web server are managed appropriately and hardened with strong passwords.
- Ensure that appropriate controls exist for files, directories, and virtual directories.
- Ensure that the web server has appropriate logging enabled and secured.
- Ensure that script extensions are mapped appropriately.
- Verify the validity and use of any server certificates in use.
Checklist for Auditing Web Applications
- Ensure that the web application is protected against injection attacks.
- Review the website for cross-site scripting vulnerabilities.
- Review the application for broken authentication and session management vulnerabilities.
- Verify that proper object reference and authorization controls are enforced.
- Verify that controls are in place to prevent Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF or XSRF).
- Review controls surrounding maintaining a secure configuration.
- Verify that secure cryptographic storage mechanisms are used correctly.
- Verify that proper controls are in place to restrict URL filtering.
- Evaluate transport layer protection mechanisms (network traffic encryption) to protect sensitive information.
- Review the web application redirects and forwards to verify that only valid URLs are accessible.
- Verify that all input is validated prior to use by the web server.
- Evaluate the use of proper error handling.
Conclusion
The web server and web applications were thoroughly evaluated and found to be in compliance with established security policies and best practices, although some recommendations for improvement were made. The audit identified potential security risks and vulnerabilities, including misconfigured access controls, weak passwords, and insufficient input validation. Recommendations were made to address these risks, including updating software and configurations, implementing stronger authentication and authorization mechanisms, and improving data backup and recovery procedures. Overall, the audit highlights the importance of maintaining the security of web servers and web applications and provides practical steps to enhance their security posture.