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Web server security: Web server hardening

Introduction

A web server is not just any other device that you employ in your network environment. Unlike other devices sitting behind layers of defenses and firewalls, web servers sit at the rim of your network and are designed to share information about your organization with the outside world, regardless of who they are. 

Therefore, it is no surprise that a web server is often the first place that hackers look when they are considering attacking a target. Without the proper precautions and preparations, these devices are weak enough to give attackers the foothold that they need.

A quick look through the most common web-based cyberattacks lead back to web servers sharing too much device information, SQL injection, session management-based attacks and even a failure to install the latest patches. In other words, if left with their default configurations, your organization will quickly find some of your most important information exposed — or worse — with the forensic trail leading straight back to your web server. 

So what can your organization do to harden your web server to keep attackers at bay — or at least frustrated enough to find a weaker target? In this next part of the Infosec Skills web server protection series, we will review some of the best practices when it comes to web server hardening.

Web server hardening best practices

Disable the signature

A common way attackers begin to probe a web server for possible exploitation is by sending a remote request that pulls back valuable information served up by the server signature. Also known as the server footer, disabling the server signature prevents the server name, server version number and other information such as recent error messages, module information and other directory information from displaying upon request or when a 404 error (Read more...)

*** This is a Security Bloggers Network syndicated blog from Infosec Resources authored by Patrick Mallory. Read the original post at: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/infosecResources/~3/O8avI9hZPW4/