Microsoft IIS 8.5 Server Security Technical Implementation Guide

Description

This Security Technical Implementation Guide is published as a tool to improve the security of Department of Defense (DOD) information systems. The requirements are derived from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) 800-53 and related documents. Comments or proposed revisions to this document should be sent via email to the following address: [email protected].

Details

Version / Release: V2R6

Published: 2023-03-09

Updated At: 2023-05-04 00:35:32

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    Vuln Rule Version CCI Severity Title Description Status Finding Details Comments
    SV-214400r879562_rule IISW-SV-000102 CCI-000130 MEDIUM The enhanced logging for the IIS 8.5 web server must be enabled and capture all user and web server events. Log files are a critical component to the successful management of an IS used within the DoD. By generating log files with useful information web administrators can leverage them in the event of a disaster, malicious attack, or other site specific needs.
    SV-214401r879562_rule IISW-SV-000103 CCI-000139 MEDIUM Both the log file and Event Tracing for Windows (ETW) for the IIS 8.5 web server must be enabled. Internet Information Services (IIS) on Windows Server 2012 provides basic logging capabilities. However, because IIS takes some time to flush logs to disk, administrators do not have access to logging information in real-time. In addition, text-based log
    SV-214402r879566_rule IISW-SV-000109 CCI-000133 MEDIUM An IIS 8.5 web server behind a load balancer or proxy server, must produce log records containing the source client IP and destination information. Web server logging capability is critical for accurate forensic analysis. Without sufficient and accurate information, a correct replay of the events cannot be determined. Ascertaining the correct source, e.g. source IP, of the events is important during
    SV-214403r879567_rule IISW-SV-000110 CCI-000134 MEDIUM The IIS 8.5 web server must produce log records that contain sufficient information to establish the outcome (success or failure) of IIS 8.5 web server events. Web server logging capability is critical for accurate forensic analysis. Without sufficient and accurate information, a correct replay of the events cannot be determined. Ascertaining the success or failure of an event is important during forensic analy
    SV-214404r879568_rule IISW-SV-000111 CCI-001487 MEDIUM The IIS 8.5 web server must produce log records containing sufficient information to establish the identity of any user/subject or process associated with an event. Web server logging capability is critical for accurate forensic analysis. Without sufficient and accurate information, a correct replay of the events cannot be determined. Determining user accounts, processes running on behalf of the user, and running pr
    SV-214405r879578_rule IISW-SV-000115 CCI-000162 MEDIUM The log information from the IIS 8.5 web server must be protected from unauthorized modification or deletion. A major tool in exploring the website 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 manager with valuable information. Failure to protect
    SV-214406r879582_rule IISW-SV-000116 CCI-001348 MEDIUM The log data and records from the IIS 8.5 web server must be backed up onto a different system or media. Protection of log data includes assuring log data is not accidentally lost or deleted. Backing up log records to an unrelated system or onto separate media than the system the web server is actually running on helps to assure that, in the event of a catas
    SV-214407r879587_rule IISW-SV-000117 CCI-000381 MEDIUM The IIS 8.5 web server must not perform user management for hosted applications. User management and authentication can be an essential part of any application hosted by the web server. Along with authenticating users, the user management function must perform several other tasks like password complexity, locking users after a configu
    SV-214408r879587_rule IISW-SV-000118 CCI-000381 MEDIUM The IIS 8.5 web server must only contain functions necessary for operation. A web server can provide many features, services, and processes. Some of these may be deemed unnecessary or too unsecure to run on a production DoD system. The web server must provide the capability to disable, uninstall, or deactivate functionality and
    SV-214409r879587_rule IISW-SV-000119 CCI-000381 MEDIUM The IIS 8.5 web server must not be both a website server and a proxy server. A web server should be primarily a web server or a proxy server but not both, for the same reasons that other multi-use servers are not recommended. Scanning for web servers that will also proxy requests into an otherwise protected network is a very commo
    SV-214410r879587_rule IISW-SV-000120 CCI-000381 HIGH All IIS 8.5 web server sample code, example applications, and tutorials must be removed from a production IIS 8.5 server. Web server documentation, sample code, example applications, and tutorials may be an exploitable threat to a web server. A production web server may only contain components that are operationally necessary (i.e., compiled code, scripts, web content, etc.)
    SV-214411r879587_rule IISW-SV-000121 CCI-000381 MEDIUM The accounts created by uninstalled features (i.e., tools, utilities, specific, etc.) must be deleted from the IIS 8.5 server. When accounts used for web server features such as documentation, sample code, example applications, tutorials, utilities, and services are created even though the feature is not installed, they become an exploitable threat to a web server. These account
    SV-214412r879587_rule IISW-SV-000123 CCI-000381 MEDIUM The IIS 8.5 web server must be reviewed on a regular basis to remove any Operating System features, utility programs, plug-ins, and modules not necessary for operation. Just as running unneeded services and protocols is a danger to the web server at the lower levels of the OSI model, running unneeded utilities and programs is also a danger at the application layer of the OSI model. Office suites, development tools, and g
    SV-214413r879587_rule IISW-SV-000124 CCI-000381 MEDIUM The IIS 8.5 web server must have Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME) that invoke OS shell programs disabled. Controlling what a user of a hosted application can access is part of the security posture of the web server. Any time a user can access more functionality than is needed for the operation of the hosted application poses a security issue. A user with too
    SV-214414r879587_rule IISW-SV-000125 CCI-000381 MEDIUM The IIS 8.5 web server must have Web Distributed Authoring and Versioning (WebDAV) disabled. A web server can be installed with functionality that, just by its nature, is not secure. Web Distributed Authoring (WebDAV) is an extension to the HTTP protocol that, when developed, was meant to allow users to create, change, and move documents on a ser
    SV-214415r879612_rule IISW-SV-000129 CCI-000185 MEDIUM The IIS 8.5 web server must perform RFC 5280-compliant certification path validation. This check verifies the server certificate is actually a DoD-issued certificate used by the organization being reviewed. This is used to verify the authenticity of the website to the user. If the certificate is not issued by the DoD or if the certificate
    SV-214416r879627_rule IISW-SV-000130 CCI-001166 MEDIUM Java software installed on a production IIS 8.5 web server must be limited to .class files and the Java Virtual Machine. Mobile code in hosted applications allows the developer to add functionality and displays to hosted applications that are fluid, as opposed to a static web page. The data presentation becomes more appealing to the user, is easier to analyze, and navigatio
    SV-214417r879631_rule IISW-SV-000131 CCI-001082 HIGH IIS 8.5 Web server accounts accessing the directory tree, the shell, or other operating system functions and utilities must only be administrative accounts. As a rule, accounts on a web server are to be kept to a minimum. Only administrators, web managers, developers, auditors, and web authors require accounts on the machine hosting the web server. This is in addition to the anonymous web user account. The re
    SV-214418r879631_rule IISW-SV-000132 CCI-001082 MEDIUM The IIS 8.5 web server must separate the hosted applications from hosted web server management functionality. The separation of user functionality from web server management can be accomplished by moving management functions to a separate IP address or port. To further separate the management functions, separate authentication methods and certificates should be u
    SV-214419r879638_rule IISW-SV-000134 CCI-001185 MEDIUM The IIS 8.5 web server must use cookies to track session state. Cookies are used to exchange data between the web server and the client. Cookies, such as a session cookie, may contain session information and user credentials used to maintain a persistent connection between the user and the hosted application since HTT
    SV-214420r879638_rule IISW-SV-000135 CCI-001664 MEDIUM The IIS 8.5 web server must limit the amount of time a cookie persists. ASP.NET provides a session state, which is available as the HttpSessionState class, as a method of storing session-specific information that is visible only within the session. ASP.NET session state identifies requests from the same browser during a limit
    SV-214421r879640_rule IISW-SV-000136 CCI-001190 MEDIUM The IIS 8.5 web server must augment re-creation to a stable and known baseline. Making certain that the web server has not been updated by an unauthorized user is always a concern. Adding patches, functions, and modules that are untested and not part of the baseline opens the possibility for security risks. The web server must offer,
    SV-214422r879642_rule IISW-SV-000137 CCI-001199 MEDIUM The production IIS 8.5 web server must utilize SHA2 encryption for the Machine Key. The Machine Key element of the ASP.NET web.config specifies the algorithm and keys that ASP.NET will use for encryption. The Machine Key feature can be managed to specify hashing and encryption settings for application services such as view state, forms a
    SV-214423r879652_rule IISW-SV-000138 CCI-001310 MEDIUM Directory Browsing on the IIS 8.5 web server must be disabled. Directory browsing allows the contents of a directory to be displayed upon request from a web client. If directory browsing is enabled for a directory in IIS, users could receive a web page listing the contents of the directory. If directory browsing is e
    SV-214424r879655_rule IISW-SV-000139 CCI-001312 MEDIUM The IIS 8.5 web server Indexing must only index web content. The indexing service can be used to facilitate a search function for websites. Enabling indexing may facilitate a directory traversal exploit and reveal unwanted information to a malicious user. Indexing must be limited to web document directories only.
    SV-214425r879655_rule IISW-SV-000140 CCI-001312 MEDIUM Warning and error messages displayed to clients must be modified to minimize the identity of the IIS 8.5 web server, patches, loaded modules, and directory paths. HTTP error pages contain information that could enable an attacker to gain access to an information system. Failure to prevent the sending of HTTP error pages with full information to remote requesters exposes internal configuration information to potenti
    SV-214428r879693_rule IISW-SV-000143 CCI-002322 MEDIUM The IIS 8.5 web server must provide the capability to immediately disconnect or disable remote access to the hosted applications. During an attack on the web server or any of the hosted applications, the system administrator may need to disconnect or disable access by users to stop the attack. The web server must provide a capability to disconnect users to a hosted application with
    SV-214429r879717_rule IISW-SV-000144 CCI-002235 MEDIUM IIS 8.5 web server system files must conform to minimum file permission requirements. This check verifies the key web server system configuration files are owned by the SA or the web administrator controlled account. These same files that control the configuration of the web server, and thus its behavior, must also be accessible by the acc
    SV-214430r879730_rule IISW-SV-000145 CCI-001849 MEDIUM The IIS 8.5 web server must use a logging mechanism that is configured to allocate log record storage capacity large enough to accommodate the logging requirements of the IIS 8.5 web server. In order to make certain that the logging mechanism used by the web server has sufficient storage capacity in which to write the logs, the logging mechanism needs to be able to allocate log record storage capacity. The task of allocating log record stora
    SV-214431r879753_rule IISW-SV-000147 CCI-000213 MEDIUM Access to web administration tools must be restricted to the web manager and the web managers designees. A web server can be modified through parameter modification, patch installation, upgrades to the web server or modules, and security parameter changes. With each of these changes, there is the potential for an adverse effect such as a DoS, web server inst
    SV-214432r879756_rule IISW-SV-000148 CCI-001762 MEDIUM The IIS 8.5 web server must not be running on a system providing any other role. Web servers provide numerous processes, features, and functionalities that utilize TCP/IP ports. Some of these processes may be deemed unnecessary or too unsecure to run on a production system. The web server must provide the capability to disable or dea
    SV-214433r879756_rule IISW-SV-000149 CCI-001762 MEDIUM The Internet Printing Protocol (IPP) must be disabled on the IIS 8.5 web server. The use of Internet Printing Protocol (IPP) on an IIS web server allows client’s access to shared printers. This privileged access could allow remote code execution by increasing the web servers attack surface. Additionally, since IPP does not support S
    SV-214434r879806_rule IISW-SV-000151 CCI-002385 MEDIUM The IIS 8.5 web server must be tuned to handle the operational requirements of the hosted application. A Denial of Service (DoS) can occur when the web server is so overwhelmed that it can no longer respond to additional requests. A web server not properly tuned may become overwhelmed and cause a DoS condition even with expected traffic from users. To avoi
    SV-214435r879810_rule IISW-SV-000152 CCI-002418 MEDIUM IIS 8.5 web server session IDs must be sent to the client using TLS. The HTTP protocol is a stateless protocol. To maintain a session, a session identifier is used. The session identifier is a piece of data that is used to identify a session and a user. If the session identifier is compromised by an attacker, the session c
    SV-214436r903078_rule IISW-SV-000153 CCI-002418 HIGH An IIS 8.5 web server must maintain the confidentiality of controlled information during transmission through the use of an approved TLS version. Transport Layer Security (TLS) encryption is a required security setting for a private web server. Encryption of private information is essential to ensuring data confidentiality. If private information is not encrypted, it can be intercepted and easily r
    SV-214437r879810_rule IISW-SV-000154 CCI-002418 MEDIUM A web server must maintain the confidentiality of controlled information during transmission through the use of an approved TLS version. Transport Layer Security (TLS) is a required transmission protocol for a web server hosting controlled information. The use of TLS provides confidentiality of data in transit between the web server and client. FIPS 140-2-approved TLS versions must be enab
    SV-214438r879887_rule IISW-SV-000156 CCI-000366 HIGH All accounts installed with the IIS 8.5 web server software and tools must have passwords assigned and default passwords changed. During installation of the web server software, accounts are created for the web server to operate properly. The accounts installed can have either no password installed or a default password, which will be known and documented by the vendor and the user
    SV-214440r879887_rule IISW-SV-000158 CCI-000366 MEDIUM Unspecified file extensions on a production IIS 8.5 web server must be removed. By allowing unspecified file extensions to execute, the web servers attack surface is significantly increased. This increased risk can be reduced by only allowing specific ISAPI extensions or CGI extensions to run on the web server.
    SV-214441r881085_rule IISW-SV-000159 CCI-000366 MEDIUM The IIS 8.5 web server must have a global authorization rule configured to restrict access. Authorization rules can be configured at the server, website, folder (including Virtual Directories), or file level. It is recommended that URL Authorization be configured to only grant access to the necessary security principals. Configuring a global Aut
    SV-214442r879511_rule IISW-SV-000200 CCI-000054 MEDIUM The IIS 8.5 MaxConnections setting must be configured to limit the number of allowed simultaneous session requests. Resource exhaustion can occur when an unlimited number of concurrent requests are allowed on a website, facilitating a Denial of Service attack. Mitigating this kind of attack will include limiting the number of concurrent HTTP/HTTPS requests per IP addre
    SV-228573r879587_rule IISW-SV-000161 CCI-000381 MEDIUM An IIS Server configured to be a SMTP relay must require authentication. Anonymous SMTP relays are strictly prohibited. An anonymous SMTP relay can be a vector for many types of malicious activity not limited to server exploitation for the sending of SPAM mail, access to emails, phishing, DoS attacks, etc. Enabling TLS, authen
    SV-256987r903134_rule IISW-SV-000142 CCI-002314 MEDIUM The IIS 8.5 web server must restrict inbound connections from nonsecure zones. Remote access to the web server is any access that communicates through an external, non-organization-controlled network. Remote access can be used to access hosted applications or to perform management functions. A web server can be accessed remotely an