Profile Applicability:
- Level 2
Description:
To ensure secure communication, all connections to App Engine applications should be secured by HTTPS by default. This prevents sensitive data from being transmitted over insecure channels.
Rationale:
Insecure HTTP connections are vulnerable to eavesdropping and man-in-the-middle attacks, potentially exposing sensitive data such as user credentials and other private information. By enforcing HTTPS connections, applications ensure secure, encrypted communication between the client and server.
Impact:
All incoming HTTP connections will be automatically redirected to the corresponding HTTPS endpoint. This guarantees that all traffic is encrypted using TLS.
Default Value:
By default, App Engine applications support both HTTP and HTTPS connections. However, HTTPS is not enforced unless explicitly configured.
Audit Steps:
Check Configuration in app.yaml File:
Locate the app.yaml file for the application.
Verify that the following configuration exists to enforce secure connections:
Remediation Steps:
Modify the app.yaml File:
Open the app.yaml file for the application.
Add or modify the configuration to enforce HTTPS connections:
handlers:
- url: /.*
secure: always
redirect_http_response_code: 301
script: auto
Redeploy the application to App Engine:
gcloud app deploy
Backout Plan:
Disable Confidential Computing: If confidential computing needs to be disabled, run the following command to disable it on an existing instance:
gcloud compute instances update [INSTANCE_NAME] \ --zone [ZONE] \ --no-confidential-compute
This command will remove confidential computing settings from the instance.
Revert to Previous Instance Configuration: If you need to revert to the previous instance configuration, restore the instance to its original settings or recreate the VM without the confidential computing option.
Test and Verify: After rolling back, verify that the instance is working as expected and that confidential computing is no longer enabled.
Notify Stakeholders: Notify the relevant teams and stakeholders about the backout and any operational impact it might have on workloads.
References:
CIS Controls: