Profile Applicability:
 • Level 1

Description:
 Web proxy server services act as intermediaries for requests from clients seeking resources from other servers. If not required, disabling these services reduces the system’s attack surface and prevents potential misuse or unauthorized access.

Rationale:
 Disabling unused web proxy services limits network exposure and reduces security risks related to unauthorized proxy use.

Impact:
 Pros:

  • Minimizes unnecessary network services.

  • Reduces potential attack vectors involving proxy services.

Cons:

  • Disabling proxy services on systems that rely on them may disrupt network traffic or filtering.

Default Value:
 Web proxy services may be enabled or running by default on some systems.

Pre-requisites:

  • Root or sudo privileges to manage system services.

Remediation:

Test Plan:

Using Linux command line:

1. Check if common web proxy services are enabled, for example:

systemctl is-enabled squid  
systemctl is-enabled tinyproxy

2. Check if these services are running:

systemctl status squid  
systemctl status tinyproxy

Implementation Plan:

Using Linux command line:

1. Disable web proxy services:

systemctl disable squid  
systemctl disable tinyproxy

2. Stop running web proxy services:

systemctl stop squid  
systemctl stop tinyproxy

3. Verify services are disabled and stopped:

systemctl is-enabled squid  
systemctl is-enabled tinyproxy  
systemctl status squid  
systemctl status tinyproxy

Backout Plan:

Using Linux command line:

1. Enable and start web proxy services if required:

systemctl enable squid  
systemctl start squid  
systemctl enable tinyproxy  
systemctl start tinyproxy

2. Verify service status.

References:

  • CIS Amazon Linux 2 Benchmark v3.0.0

  • Systemd Service Management