Sensitive Files

1. Block Access to Sensitive Files

You can prevent access to specific files (like .env or .git/config) by configuring Nginx to block requests to those paths.

Example: Block Access to Sensitive Files

server {
    location ~ /\. {
        deny all;
        return 403;
    }

    location ~* ^/(.git|.env|config|package\.json|composer\.json|composer\.lock) {
        deny all;
        return 403;
    }
}

This configuration:

Denies access to any file that begins with a . (like .env or .git).
Blocks access to common sensitive files such as config, package.json, and composer.json.

2. Prevent Path Traversal Attacks

To avoid directory traversal (../) attacks, you can add rules to normalize paths and block dangerous patterns.

Example: Prevent Path Traversal

server {
    location / {
        if ($request_uri ~* "/\.\./") {
            return 403;
        }
    }
}

This rule checks the request URI and returns a 403 Forbidden response if the request contains any path traversal patterns like ../.

3. Restrict Access to Upload Directories

If your web app has an upload directory, make sure Nginx is configured to prevent execution of files within that directory (such as PHP files or scripts uploaded by attackers).

Example: Restrict Execution in Uploads

server {
    location /uploads/ {
        # Disable execution of PHP or other scripts in the uploads directory
        location ~* \.(php|php3|php4|php5|phtml)$ {
            deny all;
            return 403;
        }
    }
}

This configuration blocks execution of any PHP or script files uploaded to the /uploads/ directory.

4. Limit File Types That Can Be Accessed

You can specify which file types are allowed to be served by Nginx and block the rest. For example, allow only .html, .css, and image files to be accessed by users.

Example: Restrict File Types

server {
    location / {
        # Allow only specific file types
        location ~* \.(jpg|jpeg|png|gif|css|js|html)$ {
            allow all;
        }

        # Deny access to all other file types
        location ~* \.(php|exe|sh|bat)$ {
            deny all;
            return 403;
        }
    }
}

5. Implement Security Headers

You can add security headers in Nginx to improve protection against XSS, clickjacking, and other vulnerabilities.

Example: Security Headers

server {
    add_header X-Frame-Options "SAMEORIGIN";
    add_header X-Content-Type-Options "nosniff";
    add_header X-XSS-Protection "1; mode=block";
    add_header Content-Security-Policy "default-src 'self';";
}

6. Block Specific Paths

You can configure Nginx to block specific paths that attackers commonly probe for, such as vulnerable PHP scripts, default admin pages, or paths that don’t exist on your server.

Example: Block Probing for Vulnerable Paths

server {
    location ~* /(config|install|db_backup|admin|phpmyadmin|shell\.php)$ {
        deny all;
        return 403;
    }

    location ~* /actuator {
        deny all;
        return 403;
    }
}

7. Use a Web Application Firewall (WAF)

A Web Application Firewall like ModSecurity can detect and block various kinds of attacks including SQL injections, XSS, and directory traversal. You can configure Nginx to use ModSecurity for additional protection.

Example: Enable ModSecurity with Nginx

Install ModSecurity.
Configure Nginx to use ModSecurity:

server {
    modsecurity on;
    modsecurity_rules_file /etc/nginx/modsec/main.conf;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://localhost:8080;
    }
}

Summary of Sensitive Paths to Block:

Here’s a list of sensitive paths that are often targeted by attackers. You can use Nginx to block access to these:

/.env
/.git/
/wp-admin/
/wp-config.php
/config.php
/index.php
/vendor/
/phpinfo.php
/phpmyadmin/
/backup/
/install.php
/actuator/
/web-console/
/admin/
/app.php
/shell.php
/db_backup/
/logs/
/cache/
/debug/
/composer.lock
/composer.json
/package.json
/error.log
/access.log

By configuring Nginx properly with these rules, you can significantly reduce the risk of your server being exploited through directory traversal, file probing, or path manipulation attacks.

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Last updated 2 months ago