Demo Series: Safeguarding Web Server Static Files

Protecting Three-Tier Application Architectures With Anjuna 

Web servers are a crucial part of delivering your content to users worldwide. But as cyberattacks continue to evolve in sophistication, it becomes all the more important to ensure that your web servers and all of their hosted content are secured against bad actors.

Let's explore how Anjuna Confidential Computing Platform protects web servers and safeguards their static content from malicious modifications, keeping your organization's digital assets and reputation intact and out of the wrong hands.

The Vulnerability of Web Servers

A typical web server hosts a website and then seamlessly serves content from that server to users, allowing the users to interact with the site without needing to be aware of the complex infrastructure that keeps the whole thing running. But what happens when that process gets interrupted by a malicious actor who has gained root access to the web server?

Once an attacker has infiltrated the web server with root access, the server is at their mercy since they can now compromise its integrity. One way an attacker might achieve this is to replace your web server's static content with their own malicious version of it. With that content in place, they can log keystrokes from the server and send them to a third-party service, all without alerting the end user. Though the website will look normal to an end user, an attacker in this situation has compromised the website.

Anjuna's Solution: Secure Enclaves

These attacks can be catastrophic, not just for your website but for your organization as a whole and even for your users, whose data could be leaked. To fight these attacks, Anjuna Confidential Computing Platform uses secure enclaves. A secure enclave creates a protected and isolated virtual environment where applications like your web server can securely run, even staying safe while running on compromised host systems.

With just one simple command, an administrator can invoke the Anjuna Confidential Runtime, which takes advantage of the advanced hardware capabilities that are available in the cloud.

Anjuna's unique approach doesn't require you to make any potentially intrusive modifications to your web server's infrastructure. In fact, it specifically focuses on the security of your server and all of its data while it's running, allowing all of your data to be safeguarded from potential security threats.

Encryption and Key Management

A central feature of Anjuna Confidential Computing Platform is the way the platform protects your web server's static content. This is done by encrypting your content with a secure encryption key, which is stored remotely by the Anjuna Policy Manager or another third-party secret store.

The encryption key is inaccessible to individuals outside your trusted web server that is running inside the secure enclave. The key is hidden, both on the host system side and from any potential attackers, creating a system where it is virtually impossible to tamper with your encrypted content.

Foiling Attacks With Attestation

If, at this point, an attacker attempts to replace your server's static content and restart the web server entirely, then Anjuna's security measures will kick in. Seeing the attempt, Anjuna will employ a confidential computing mechanism called "attestation," effectively creating a digital fingerprint that indicates the state of the server.

When Anjuna detects an attempt at unauthorized modification, it will then block the server from starting altogether. With this quick response, Anjuna prevents malicious attackers from gaining access to the system, making certain that the web server's integrity is not compromised in the attack.

Preserving Integrity and Reputation

With the use of Anjuna Confidential Computing Platform, your web server's integrity and that of its hosted content stays secure, even in situations where the server itself is compromised. These powerful security measures keep your organization's digital assets intact and prevent damage to your business and reputation. That means end users can feel confident in their interactions with your website since they know the data and interactions they share with your server will be protected against malicious actors.

With top-tier security options and secure enclaves, Anjuna can ensure that your web servers and hosted content are kept safe and sound. Through our powerful secure enclaves, content encryption, and attestation mechanisms, Anjuna comes to the defense of your web server, keeping attackers at bay and preserving the trust you've worked so hard to instill in your users.

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Learn more about the capabilities of Anjuna Confidential Computing Platform by scheduling your own live demo.

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