All interactive programs must be placed in a designated directory with appropriate permissions.

From APACHE 2.2 Server for UNIX Security Technical Implementation Guide

SV-32763r1_rule All interactive programs must be placed in a designated directory with appropriate permissions.

Vulnerability discussion

Directory options directives are directives that can be applied to further restrict access to file and directories. The Options directive controls which server features are available in a particular directory. The ExecCGI option controls the execution of CGI scripts using mod_cgi. This needs to be restricted to only the directory intended for script execution.

Check content

Search for the unnecessary CGI programs which may be found in the directories configured with ScriptAlias, Script or other Script* directives. Often, CGI directories are named cgi-bin. Also, CGI AddHandler or SetHandler directives may also be in use for specific handlers such as perl, python and PHP. To search the http.conf file for Options enter the following command: grep "Options" /usr/local/apache2/conf/httpd.conf. If the value for Options is returned with a ExecCGI (no +) this is a finding.

Fix text

Locate any cgi-bin files and directories enabled in the Apache configuration via Script, ScriptAlias or other Script* directives. Remove the printenv default CGI in cgi-bin directory if it is installed. rm $APACHE_PREFIX/cgi-bin/printenv. Remove the test-cgi file from the cgi-bin directory if it is installed. rm $APACHE_PREFIX/cgi-bin/test-cgi. Review and remove any other cgi-bin files which are not needed for business purposes.

Pro Tips

Lavender hyperlinks in small type off to the right (of CSS class id, if you view the page source) point to globally unique URIs for each document and item. Copy the link location and paste anywhere you need to talk unambiguously about these things.

You can obtain data about documents and items in other formats. Simply provide an HTTP header Accept: text/turtle or Accept: application/rdf+xml.