cis-tomcat8-v110-1-2

name	cis-tomcat8-v110-1.2
description	Disable Unused Connectors (Not Scored)
category	cis-tomcat
version	1.0.0
author	cyberstrike-official
tags	["cis","tomcat","linux","java","connectors","unused-services"]
cis_id	1.2
cis_benchmark	CIS Apache Tomcat 8 Benchmark v1.1.0
tech_stack	["linux","tomcat","java"]
cwe_ids	[]
chains_with	[]
prerequisites	[]
severity_boost	{}

Disable Unused Connectors (Not Scored)

Description

The default installation of Tomcat includes connectors with default settings. These are traditionally set up for convenience. It is best to remove these connectors and enable only what is needed.

Rationale

Improperly configured or unnecessarily installed Connectors may lead to a security exposure.

Audit Procedure

Execute the following command to find configured Connectors. Ensure only those required are present and not commented out:

$ grep "Connector" $CATALINA_HOME/conf/server.xml

Remediation

Within the $CATALINA_HOME/conf/server.xml, remove, or comment out, every unused Connectors. For example, to disable an instance of the HTTPConnector, remove the following:

<Connector className="org.apache.catalina.connector.http.HttpConnector"
...
connectionTimeout="60000"/>

Default Value

$CATALINA_HOME/conf/server.xml, has the following connectors defined by default:

• A non-SSL HTTP Connector bound to port 8080
• An AJP Connector bound to port 8009

References

1. https://tomcat.apache.org/tomcat-8.0-doc/security-howto.html#Connectors
2. https://tomcat.apache.org/tomcat-8.5-doc/security-howto.html#Connectors

CIS Controls

v7:

• 9.2 Ensure Only Approved Ports, Protocols and Services Are Running
  • Ensure that only network ports, protocols, and services listening on a system with validated business needs, are running on each system.

Profile Applicability

• Level 2