9.6 Ensure that 'PHP version' is the latest, if used to run the web app

Information

Periodically newer versions are released for PHP software either due to security flaws or to include additional functionality. Using the latest PHP version for web apps is recommended in order to take advantage of security fixes, if any, and/or additional functionalities of the newer version.

Rationale:

Newer versions may contain security enhancements and additional functionality. Using the latest software version is recommended in order to take advantage of enhancements and new capabilities. With each software installation, organizations need to determine if a given update meets their requirements and also verify the compatibility and support provided for any additional software against the update revision that is selected.

Solution

From Azure Console

Login to Azure Portal using https://portal.azure.com

Go to App Services

Click on each App

Under Setting section, Click on Configuration

Set PHP version to latest version available under General settings

NOTE: No action is required If PHP version is set to Off as PHP is not used by your web app.
Using Azure Command Line Interface
To see the list of supported runtimes:

az webapp list-runtimes | grep php

To set latest PHP version for an existing app, run the following command:

az webapp config set --resource-group <RESOURCE_GROUP_NAME> --name <APP_NAME> --php-version <VERSION>

Default Value:

By default, PHP 5.6 version will be used when creating a new app using the command-line tool or the Azure Portal console.

See Also

https://workbench.cisecurity.org/files/3459