cis-tomcat9-v120-10-19

name	cis-tomcat9-v120-10.19
description	Ensure Manager Application Passwords are Encrypted (Manual)
category	cis-tomcat
version	1.2.0
author	cyberstrike-official
tags	["cis","tomcat","linux","java","configuration","manager","security","password"]
cis_id	10.19
cis_benchmark	CIS Apache Tomcat 9 Benchmark v1.2.0
tech_stack	["linux","tomcat","java"]
cwe_ids	[]
chains_with	[]
prerequisites	[]
severity_boost	{}

10.19 Ensure Manager Application Passwords are Encrypted (Manual)

Description

Apache Tomcat ships with a Manager Application which requires users with a role of manager-gui, manager-status, manager-script, and/or manager-jmx to authenticate. The usernames and passwords to log onto the Manager Application are stored in the tomcat-users.xml in plain text by default.

Rationale

Storing passwords in plain text may allow users with access to read the tomcat-users.xml file to obtain the credentials of user who have been assigned roles for the Manager Application. This may allow for accounts to be compromised on Tomcat and elsewhere.

Audit Procedure

Perform the following to determine if password digests are in use:

$ grep -i <login-config>|.\n|*<auth-method>DIGEST</auth-method>|.\n] *<realm-
name>UserDatabase</realm-name>:.\n|*</login-config>
$CATALINA_HOME/webapps/manager/WEB-INF/web.xml

If a Realm exists without a digest attribute or without a value for the digest attribute, this is a fail.

Remediation

1. Generate the encrypted password:

cd $CATALINA_HOME/bin
digest.bat -a sha-256 YOURPASSWORD

This will return the original password followed by encrypted password:

YOURPASSWORD:240be518fabd27724db6f04eeb1da5967e31c72a9
c720a9

2. Replace the plain text password with the above encrypted password generated above in CATALINA_HOME/conf/tomcat-user.xml file as follows.

Default Value

References

CIS Controls

Controls Version	Control	IG 1	IG 2	IG 3
v8	8.5 Collect Detailed Audit Logs Configure detailed audit logging for enterprise assets containing sensitive data. Include event source, date, username, timestamp, source addresses, destination addresses, and other useful elements that could assist in a forensic investigation.		●	●
v7	6.3 Enable Detailed Logging Enable system logging to include detailed information such as an event source, date, user, timestamp, source addresses, destination addresses, and other useful elements.