Advanced and practical security protection technology for open-source Apache servers

Apache service introduction Web server is also called WWW server or HTTP server. it is one of the most common and frequently used servers on the Internet, web servers can provide users with Web browsing, forum access, and other services. Because you are using a Web browser to secure the Apache server

Apache service introduction

Web servers, also known as WWW servers or HTTP servers, are the most common and frequently used servers on the Internet, web servers can provide users with Web browsing, forum access, and other services.

As users do not have to worry about technical details when accessing information resources through Web browsers, and the interface is very friendly, Web has developed explosively on the Internet. Nowadays, Web servers have become the largest computer group on the Internet. it is hard to imagine that there are many Web documents and a wide network of links. Therefore, the number of Web server software is also increasing, and the competition in the Web server software market is becoming increasingly fierce. This article discusses Apache, the most common Web server software.

Apache is a free software. you can download it from the official Apache website for free. Anyone can participate in the development of its components. Apache allows people from all over the world to provide new features. After the new code is submitted to ApacheGroup, ApacheGroup reviews its specific content and tests and quality checks. If they are satisfied, the code will be integrated into the main Apache release version.

Other main features of Apache include:

Supports the latest HTTP protocol:Is one of the first Web servers that support HTTP1.1. it is fully compatible with the new HTTP protocol and is backward compatible with HTTP1.0 and HTTP1.1. Apache is also ready to support new protocols.

Simple and powerful file-based configuration:The server does not provide a graphical user interface for the administrator. It provides three simple but powerful configuration files. You can use these three files as needed to complete your desired Apache configuration.

Common Gateway Interface (CGI) supported ):Use the mod_cgi module to support CGI. Apache supports the CGI/1.1 standard and provides some extensions.

Supports virtual hosts:Is one of the first Web servers that support both IP virtual hosts and named virtual hosts.

HTTP authentication supported:Supports basic Web-based authentication. It also hopes to support message digest-based authentication.

Internal integration with Perl:Perl is the de facto standard for CGI script programming. Apache provides good support for Perl. by using its mod_perl module, you can also load Perl scripts into the memory.

Integrated proxy server:You can also select Apache as the proxy server.

Supports SSL:Apache itself does not support SSL due to the restrictions imposed by the version and U.S. law on import and export. However, you can install Apache's patch set (Apache-SSL) to make Apache support SSL.

HTTPCookie supported:Supports cookies to track users' Web sites.

Network Threats to Apache services

Generally,Apache servers face the following types of network threats:

DoS attacks using HTTP:Attackers may use some means to make the server refuse to respond to HTIP. This will cause a huge increase in Apache requirements for system resources (CPU time and memory), slowing down or even paralyzing the Apache system, resulting in the interruption of HTTP services or timely response to legitimate requests of legitimate users;

Buffer overflow attacks:Because Apache source code is fully open, attackers can exploit some defects in programming to make the program deviate from the normal process. The program uses static allocated memory to store request data. attackers can send an ultra-long request to overflow the buffer, resulting in a buffer overflow attack;

Attackers can obtain root privileges to threaten system security:Because the Apache server generally runs with the root permission, attackers can use it to obtain the root permission and control the entire Apache system;

Communication Security between the Apache server and the client:If plaintext transmission is used, the sensitive communication information between the server and the client may be obtained by hackers or illegal users;

Security problems caused by improper configuration of Apache configuration files:Malicious users can download or modify and delete system files at will. This mainly involves restrictions on the content and permissions of visitors.

To cope with these security threats, we need to provide comprehensive protection from Apache server configuration, runtime environment, communication link security assurance, security module usage, log management, and other aspects, the following describes the categories in detail.