cyberstrikeus 5.1 Use secure Realms (Automated)
Profile Applicability
• Level 2
Description
A realm is a database of usernames and passwords used to identify valid users of web applications. Review the Realms configuration to ensure Tomcat is not configured to use MemoryRealm, JDBCRealm, UserDatabaseRealm, or JAASRealm.
Rationale
According to the Tomcat documentation: MemoryRealm and JDBCRealm are not designed for production usage and could result in reduced availability; the UserDatabaseRealm is not intended for large-scale installations; and the JAASRealm is not widely used and therefore the code is not as mature as the other realms.
Audit Procedure
Perform the following to ensure an improper realm is not in use:
# grep "Realm className" $CATALINA_HOME/conf/server.xml | grep MemoryRealm
# grep "Realm className" $CATALINA_HOME/conf/server.xml | grep JDBCRealm
# grep "Realm className" $CATALINA_HOME/conf/server.xml | grep UserDatabaseRealm
# grep "Realm className" $CATALINA_HOME/conf/server.xml | grep JAASRealm
The above commands should not emit any output.
Remediation
Set the Realm className setting in $CATALINA_HOME/conf/server.xml to one of the appropriate realms.
References
- https://tomcat.apache.org/tomcat-9.0-doc/realm-howto.html
- https://tomcat.apache.org/tomcat-9.0-doc/security-howto.html
CIS Controls
Controls Version: v8
Control: 3.3 Configure Data Access Control Lists
Configure data access control lists based on a user's need to know. Apply data access control lists, also known as access permissions, to local and remote file systems, databases, and applications.
IG 1: • IG 2: • IG 3: •
Profile
Level 2