The web server must use HTTP/2, at a minimum.
Severity | Group ID | Group Title | Version | Rule ID | Date | STIG Version |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| medium | V-264362 | SRG-APP-000439 | SRG-APP-000439-WSR-000192 | SV-264362r984431_rule | 2025-09-10 | 4 |
Description
HTTP/2, like HTTPS, enhances security compared to HTTP/1.x by minimizing the risk of header-based attacks (e.g., header injection and manipulation).
Websites that fully utilize HTTP/2 are inherently protected and defend against smuggling attacks. HTTP/2 provides the method for specifying the length of a request, which removes any potential for ambiguity that can be leveraged by an attacker.
This is applicable to all web architectures such as load balancing/proxy use cases.
- The front-end and back-end servers should both be configured to use HTTP/2.
- HTTP/2 must be used for communications between web servers.
- Browser vendors have agreed to only support HTTP/2 only in HTTPS mode, thus TLS must be configured to meet this requirement. TLS configuration is out of scope for this requirement.
ℹ️ Check
Verify the web server uses HTTP/2.
If the web server does not use HTTP/2 at a minimum, this is a finding.
✔️ Fix
Configure the web server to use HTTP/2, at a minimum.
Note that browsers support HTTP/2 only in HTTPS mode. The tunneling of HTTP/1.x through HTTPS is not an approved configuration.