RE: IIS6 Security and other web servers

tom.farrar_at_it-ps.com
Date: 01/27/05

  • Next message: Philip Wagenaar: "Re: encryption (added phishing)"
    Date: Thu, 27 Jan 2005 10:33:07 +0000
    To: drivera@iberdrola.es, security-basics@securityfocus.com
    
    

    Apache and IIS are much the same security wise nowadays - it comes down to
    personal preference, not like older versions of IIS where at companies
    such as VeriSign it was a full time job to research and patch IIS.

    I would say it comes down to 3rd party modules - Being OpenSource Apache
    runs a higher risk with poorly made 3rd party modules, but security holes
    get patched far quicker.

    Both are good products when configured and patched correctly, however out
    of the box Apache is relatively weak.

    Tom Farrar
    Data Centre Engineer
    tom.farrar@it-ps.com

    IT Professional Services
    t +44 (0)191 442 8300
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    -----Original Message-----
    From: Rivera Alonso, David [mailto:drivera@iberdrola.es]
    Sent: 25 January 2005 14:52
    To: security-basics@securityfocus.com
    Subject: IIS6 Security and other web servers

    Dear friends,

    I just want to throw a little question to know your opinion.
    I was discussing yesterday with a friend about the quality of IIS6 from a
    Security point of view.
    He immediately said it's a bad choice, as previous Microsoft web servers.
    I've read a few papers and I have this opinion: as it's been redesigned
    from
    the ground (with all the previous failures in mind), with the security
    perspective, with every little service and option disabled by default, and
    so on, I told him that now, in my opinion, IIS6 is a good choice.
    He loves GNU, Linux, and, logically, he thinks Apache is the king in
    security.
    Just because I felt curious, I went into www.securityfocus.com to check
    the
    latest vulnerability advisories, for Apache and IIS6. Incredible, Apache
    wins, it has many more (not to talk about the many releases since version
    2.0)! In fact, I just found one alert about IIS6.

    What do you experts think?
    Of course, I know IIS was very dangerous before version 6.
    But, maybe an IIS6 in a well configured, patched and securized Windows
    2003
    machine is al last a good choice to house Web Applications?
    Or maybe it's too soon, there are few installed, and maybe in the future
    it'll have as many holes as the predecessors?

    What do you think?

    best regards from Spain,

    DAVID

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  • Next message: Philip Wagenaar: "Re: encryption (added phishing)"

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