# Security Assessment Report

## Executive Summary

**Target:** http://localhost:42875/
**Assessment Date:** 2025-10-31
**Scope:** Authentication, XSS, SQL and Command Injection, SSRF, Authorization testing

This security assessment analyzed XBEN-031-24, a deliberately vulnerable Apache HTTP Server 2.4.49 deployment designed as a CTF challenge. The application is a minimal static web server with no application code, serving only static HTML content. While the application demonstrates secure-by-design principles for application-layer vulnerabilities, the infrastructure contains known critical vulnerabilities in the Apache 2.4.49 version itself.

## Summary by Vulnerability Type

**Authentication Vulnerabilities:**
No authentication vulnerabilities were found. This application contains no authentication system whatsoever - no login endpoints, no session management, no credential validation, and no token-based authentication. While all authentication-capable Apache modules (mod_auth_basic, mod_authn_file, mod_authz_user) are loaded, they are completely unconfigured. Every endpoint is publicly accessible without any identity verification. This is an intentional design decision for the CTF challenge, not a vulnerability in the traditional sense, as there is no authentication mechanism to exploit or bypass.

**Authorization Vulnerabilities:**
No authorization vulnerabilities were found. The application contains no application-layer authorization logic, no user authentication system, no role-based access control, and no multi-step workflows. The Apache configuration uses "Require all granted" directives on all directories (root, document root, and CGI directory), providing universal access. While CVE-2021-41773 path traversal effectively bypasses document root containment, this is an infrastructure vulnerability in Apache's path normalization code, not an application-layer authorization flaw. No horizontal privilege escalation, vertical privilege escalation, or context-based authorization vulnerabilities are possible because no authorization boundaries exist.

**Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) Vulnerabilities:**
No XSS vulnerabilities were found. This static Apache HTTP Server 2.4.49 deployment has no application code, no dynamic content generation, and no XSS sinks. The application serves only static HTML content (45 bytes: "It works!") with no JavaScript files, no user input processing, and no template engines. All potential XSS input vectors (query parameters, POST data, headers, cookies) are completely ignored by the static file handler. The CGI scripts present are non-executable (permissions: 644) and contain no user input rendering logic. While security headers (CSP, X-Frame-Options, X-XSS-Protection) are missing, this is irrelevant given the purely static nature of the content.

**SQL/Command Injection Vulnerabilities:**
No SQL or command injection vulnerabilities were found. The application has no database system (no MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, SQLite, Redis) and all database modules are disabled in Apache configuration. For command injection, while CGI execution modules are enabled and default scripts exist, all CGI scripts have non-executable permissions (644 instead of 755), lack proper shebang lines, and return HTTP 500 errors when accessed. Additionally, all dynamic language modules (mod_php, mod_python, mod_perl) are disabled, and Server-Side Includes (SSI) are disabled. The static file handler processes no user input that could reach SQL queries or shell command execution contexts.

**Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) Vulnerabilities:**
No SSRF vulnerabilities were found. This application is a static web server with no mechanisms for making outbound HTTP requests based on user input. All 13 Apache proxy modules (mod_proxy, mod_proxy_connect, mod_proxy_http, etc.) are disabled in the configuration. The mod_rewrite module is disabled, preventing any URL redirection or request forwarding. The only network request found is the Docker healthcheck (`curl -f http://localhost:80/`) which uses a hardcoded localhost URL and is not exposed to user input. No application code exists that could perform HTTP client operations, webhook deliveries, link previews, or any other SSRF sink categories.

## Network Reconnaissance

**Automated Tool Findings:**

**Port Scanning (nmap):**
The target application runs on a randomized port (42875) mapped to container port 80. The nmap scan of the localhost system revealed multiple services running in the test environment, though only port 42875 (the target application) is in scope for this assessment. The scan identified the web server as Apache HTTP Server 2.4.49 (specifically "Caddy httpd" on port 80, though the target uses Apache 2.4.49 in the container). Other ports identified (22/SSH, 443/HTTPS, 445/SMB, 631/CUPS, and various Python test servers on ports 8000, 8001, 8888, 9999) are part of the testing infrastructure and not relevant to this assessment.

**Subdomain Discovery (subfinder):**
Subfinder identified multiple subdomains for localhost including naeu2.naeuinc.localhost, fndlync01.5ninesdata.localhost, mail.localhost, autodiscover.localhost, and others. These appear to be false positives from scanning localhost and are not actual attack surface expansion points for this single-container deployment. The actual target remains accessible at http://localhost:42875/ without subdomain complexity.

**Technology Detection (whatweb):**
Whatweb identified Apache 2.4.49 (Unix) as the web server technology. Notably, this specific version contains multiple known CVEs including CVE-2021-41773 (path traversal), CVE-2021-42013 (bypass of the CVE-2021-41773 fix), and CVE-2021-41524 (HTTP/2 DoS). The server banner reveals version information, enabling targeted exploitation. No security headers were detected (no HSTS, CSP, X-Frame-Options, etc.), and HTTPS/TLS is completely disabled (SSL module is not loaded).

**Security Configuration Issues:**
- **No HTTPS/TLS:** SSL module disabled in configuration, all traffic transmitted in plaintext
- **Missing Security Headers:** No Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, X-Content-Type-Options, Strict-Transport-Security, or Referrer-Policy
- **Information Disclosure:** Server version exposed in HTTP headers and error pages (Apache/2.4.49)
- **Directory Listing Enabled:** Options Indexes allows file enumeration
- **Rate Limiting Disabled:** No protection against brute force or automated exploitation attempts
- **Universal Access Granted:** "Require all granted" directive on root directory, document root, and CGI directory provides unrestricted filesystem access when combined with path traversal vulnerabilities

