12.1 Ensure the AppArmor Framework Is Enabled

Information

AppArmor is a Linux kernel security module that provides a named based mandatory access control with security policies. AppArmor can enforce rules on programs for file access and network connections and restrict actions based on defined policies.

Rationale:

Web applications and web services continue to be one of the leading attack vectors for black-hat criminals to gain access to information and servers. The threat is high because web servers are often externally accessible and typically have the greatest share of server-side vulnerabilities. The AppArmor mandatory access controls provide a much stronger security model which can be used to implement a deny-by-default model which only allows what is explicitly permitted.

Solution

Perform the following to implement the recommended state:

If the aa-status command is not found, then the AppArmor package is not installed and needs to be installed using the appropriate the Linux distribution package management. For example:

# apt-get install apparmor
# apt-get install libapache2-mod-apparmor

To enable the AppArmor framework run the init.d script as shown below.

# /etc/init.d/apparmor start

Default Value:

AppArmor is enabled by default.

See Also

https://workbench.cisecurity.org/files/4548

Item Details

Category: CONFIGURATION MANAGEMENT, SYSTEM AND INFORMATION INTEGRITY

References: 800-53|CM-7, 800-53|CM-7(1), 800-53|CM-7(5), 800-53|CM-10, 800-53|SI-7, 800-53|SI-7(1), CSCv7|2.7

Plugin: Unix

Control ID: d003ab8def8f61a325c7e41406316bfac9e2b24ff7da7e512abb2519e562abca