How do you hide the HTTP Server header?

From: Joe (jlima@port80software.com)
Date: 06/12/02


From: "Joe" <jlima@port80software.com>
Date: Wed, 12 Jun 2002 09:56:45 -0700


IISLockdown (with the URLScan add on) is a good tool for
taking care of a whole variety of security issues in IIS.
But if you just want to anonymize your IIS box by removing
or changing the server header, MS provides source code
with which you can build a specialized ISAPI filter that
will do the job:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-
US;Q294735

If you don't want to build test and install your own ISAPI
filter (and if you'll excuse a shameless plug here for my
own outfit), you could also try a product called
ServerMask (www.servermask.com). It's easy to configure
via MMC, and, unlike the MS filter, it'll play nicely with
Cold Fusion (also tested with ASP, ActiveState Perl and
PHP).

I don't know if URLScan's header manipulation has any
issues with scripting environments, but if it uses the
same technique as the freely available source, it probably
will. (Response header manipulation can get tricky when
the page is being assembled dynamically and sent out via
chunked transfer coding.)

I'm looking for ways to enhance ServerMask, so any
suggestions would be appreciated. Some obvious next steps
are simulating the header "signatures" of other servers
(e.g., through header sequence) and masking ASP files.

cheers,

Joe

>-----Original Message-----
>Simple security question, how do you hide the HTTP server
>header so you don't get hit with so many bots and stuff
>trying to probe for IIS? I heard something about IIS
>lockdown or something....
>.
>



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