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CUI

STIG Rule - V-214252

V-214252

SV-214252r1043181_rule

CAT II

The Apache web server must generate a session ID long enough that it cannot be guessed through brute force.

From: Apache Server 2.4 UNIX Server Security Technical Implementation Guide (V3R2)

Description

<VulnDiscussion>Generating a session identifier (ID) that is not easily guessed through brute force is essential to deter several types of session attacks. By knowing the session ID, an attacker can hijack a user session that has already been user authenticated by the hosted application. The attacker does not need to guess user identifiers and passwords or have a secure token since the user session has already been authenticated. Generating session IDs that are at least 128 bits (16 bytes) in length will cause an attacker to take a large amount of time and resources to guess, reducing the likelihood of an attacker guessing a session ID.</VulnDiscussion><FalsePositives></FalsePositives><FalseNegatives></FalseNegatives><Documentable>false</Documentable><Mitigations></Mitigations><SeverityOverrideGuidance></SeverityOverrideGuidance><PotentialImpacts></PotentialImpacts><ThirdPartyTools></ThirdPartyTools><MitigationControl></MitigationControl><Responsibility></Responsibility><IAControls></IAControls>

Check Procedure

Review the web server documentation and deployed configuration to determine the length of the generated session identifiers. First ensure that "session_crypto" is enabled: httpd -M |grep session_crypto If the above command returns "session_crypto_module", the module is enabled in the running server. Determine the location of the "HTTPD_ROOT" directory and the "httpd.conf" file: # apachectl -V | egrep -i 'httpd_root|server_config_file' -D HTTPD_ROOT="/etc/httpd" -D SERVER_CONFIG_FILE="conf/httpd.conf" Note: The apachectl front end is the preferred method for locating the Apache httpd file. For some Linux distributions, "apache2ctl -V" or "httpd -V" can also be used. Review the "httpd.conf" file. If the "SessionCryptoCipher" is not used or "SessionCryptoCipher" is not set to "aes256", this is a finding.

Fix Text

Configure the web server to generate session identifiers that are at least 128 bits in length. Ensure that "session_crypto_module" is enabled. Determine the location of the "httpd.conf" file by running the following command: httpd -V Review the "HTTPD_ROOT" path. Navigate to the "HTTPD_ROOT"/conf directory. Edit the "httpd.conf" file. SessionCryptoCipher aes256 Restart Apache: apachectl restart

CCI Reference

CCI-001188
Created
2026-04-07 20:08:10
Last Updated
2026-04-07 20:08:10
CUI