Cis Azure Compute 4.1

Ensure SSL is configured for CycleCloud

Description

The use of SSL ensures that data in transit to and from the Azure CycleCloud server is encrypted.

Rationale

Encryption of data in transit provides integrity and confidentiality of that data. If unencrypted data is intercepted in transit it is highly vulnerable to exposure and exploitation.

Impact

If using self-signed certificates, users accessing CycleCloud will receive a warning that the SSL certificate is untrusted; they will need to accept the certificate to access the web console. Depending on your environment and use of CycleCloud, you may wish to procure a signed and trusted certificate from a Certificate Authority.

Audit Procedure

From SSH

1. Establish a secure shell session with the Azure CycleCloud server.
2. Navigate to the CycleCloud installation directory.
3. Use a text editor (e.g. Vim, Nano, Emacs) to open the cycle_server.properties file.
4. Review the file for the following properties:

webServerEnableHttps=true
webServerRedirectHttp=true

Note that if these properties are defined in the file multiple times, only the last instance of that property definition will be in effect.

If either property is set to false, SSL is NOT configured for the CycleCloud server.

Expected Result

Both webServerEnableHttps and webServerRedirectHttp should be set to true in the cycle_server.properties file.

Remediation

From SSH

1. Establish a secure shell session with the Azure CycleCloud server.
2. Navigate to the CycleCloud installation directory.
3. Use a text editor (e.g. Vim, Nano, Emacs) to open the cycle_server.properties file.
4. Edit the following properties to reflect true:

webServerEnableHttps=true
webServerRedirectHttp=true

5. Save and exit from the text editor.
6. Restart the CycleCloud service to enable the new property definitions:

/opt/cycle_server/cycle_server restart

Default Value

By default, CycleCloud is configured to use Java IO HTTPS with a Let's Encrypt SSL certificate, or self-signed certificate.

References

1. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/ssl-configuration?view=cyclecloud-8
2. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/concepts/security-best-practices?view=cyclecloud-8

Profile

Level 1 | Manual