Detections
Analytics

9.5 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. They must also verify the compatibility and support provided for any additional software against the update revision that is selected.

Impact:

If your app is written using version-dependent features or libraries, they may not be available on the latest version. If you wish to upgrade, research the impact thoroughly. Upgrading may have unforeseen consequences that could result in downtime.

NOTE: Nessus has provided the target output to assist in reviewing the benchmark to ensure target compliance.

Solution

From Azure Portal

From Azure Home open the Portal Menu in the top left

Go to App Services

Click on each App

Under Settings section, click on Configuration

Click on the General settings pane, ensure that for a Stack of PHP the Major Version and Minor Version reflect the latest stable and supported release.

NOTE: No action is required If PHP version is set to Off or is set with an empty value as PHP is not used by your web app.

From Azure CLI
List the available PHP runtimes:

az webapp list-runtimes

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> [--linux-fx-version <php runtime version>][--php-version <php version>]

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

Set-AzWebApp -ResourceGroupName <resource group name> -Name <app name> -phpVersion <php version>

NOTE: Currently there is no way to update an existing web app Linux FX Version setting using PowerShell, nor is there a way to create a new web app using PowerShell that configures the PHP runtime in the Linux FX Version setting.

Default Value:

The version of PHP is whatever was selected upon App creation.

See Also

https://workbench.cisecurity.org/benchmarks/12346

Item Details

Category: SYSTEM AND SERVICES ACQUISITION

References: 800-53|SA-22, CSCv7|2.2

Plugin: microsoft_azure

Control ID: 73245c71430d67f33237f094886cf1f7e50741bd6d9d1254fd66a1cb345d140f