We often have requests to configure the “best rules” for mod_security. Mod_security is a popular Apache plugin that serves as a Web Application Firewall, screening requests coming in to the webserver based on a set of configurable rules.
Because every website and application has slightly different circumstances, which will require some fine-tuning of the rules, there is no "best" ruleset. However, I want to share the rules below, which are a good basic set to use on a web server to enhance security.
You should copy the entire text of these rules (or whichever rules you would like to activate) into your
modsec2.user.conf configuration file, or the configuration file your mod_security installation has setup for user-configurable rules.
If you do not have mod_security installed, it's very easy to configure with ConfigServer's free ModSecurity plugin for cPanel:
http://configserver.com/cp/cmc.htmlTry the rules below, for example:
SecRule ARGS {php} "severity:4,log,deny,id:6624001"
SecRule ARGS eval "severity:4,log,deny,id:6624002"
SecRule ARGS base64_decode "severity:4,log,deny,id:6624003"
SecRule REQUEST_URI|ARGS|REQUEST_BODY "base64_decode" "severity:4,log,deny,msg:'Access Denied'id:'6624009'"
SecRule REQUEST_URI|ARGS|REQUEST_BODY "eval" "severity:4,log,deny,msg:'Access Denied'id:'6624010'"
SecRule REQUEST_URI|ARGS|REQUEST_BODY "{php}" "severity:4,log,deny,msg:'Access Denied'id:'6624011'"
For the full ruleset, which is difficult to post due to its "explicit" content, and additional rules for securing against SQL injection attacks,
check the updated mod_security rules in our knowledgebase.
Of course, like I mentioned, every application has different web security needs. What do you think about mod_security's effectiveness and ease of use?
