Remove extraneous files and directories (Scored)
Description
The installation may provide example applications, documentation, and other directories which may not serve a production use.
Rationale
Removing sample resources is a defense in depth measure which reduces potential exposures introduced by these resources.
Audit Procedure
Perform the following to determine the existence of extraneous resources:
$ ls -l $CATALINA_HOME/webapps/examples \
$CATALINA_HOME/webapps/docs \
$CATALINA_HOME/webapps/ROOT \
$CATALINA_HOME/webapps/host-manager \
$CATALINA_HOME/webapps/manager
No output implies no sample resources are present.
Remediation
Perform the following to remove extraneous resources:
$ rm -rf $CATALINA_HOME/webapps/docs \
$CATALINA_HOME/webapps/examples \
$CATALINA_HOME/webapps/ROOT
If the Manager and HOST-Manager application are not utilized, also remove the following resources:
$ rm -rf $CATALINA_HOME/webapps/host-manager \
$CATALINA_HOME/webapps/manager
Default Value
docs, examples, ROOT, manager and host-manager are default web applications shipped with Tomcat.
References
- https://tomcat.apache.org/tomcat-8.0-doc/security-howto.html#Default_web_applications
- https://tomcat.apache.org/tomcat-8.5-doc/security-howto.html#Default_web_applications
CIS Controls
v7:
- 2.6 Address unapproved software
- Ensure that unauthorized software is either removed or the inventory is updated in a timely manner
Profile Applicability
- Level 2