The TRACE method must be disabled.

From APACHE 2.2 Server for UNIX Security Technical Implementation Guide

SV-33227r1_rule The TRACE method must be disabled.

Vulnerability discussion

Diagnostics help establish a history of activities, and can be useful in detecting attack attempts or determining tuning adjustments to improve server availability. Trace logs are essential to the investigation and prosecution of unauthorized access to web server software and data. However, in standard production operations, use of diagnostics may reveal undiscovered vulnerabilities and ultimately, to compromise of the data. Because of the potential for abuse, the HTTP Trace method should be disabled.

Check content

Enter the following command: grep "TraceEnable" /usr/local/apache2/conf/httpd.conf. Review the results for the following directive: TraceEnable. For any enabled TraceEnable directives ensure they are part of the server level configuration (i.e. not nested in a or directive). Also ensure that the TraceEnable directive is set to “Off”. If the TraceEnable directive is not part of the server level configuration and/or is not set to “Off”, this is a finding. If the directive does not exist in the conf file, this is a finding because the default value is "On".

Fix text

Edit the httpd.conf file and add or set the value of EnableTrace to "Off".

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.