As part of a college project, you have set up a web server for hosting...

The action that would best protect your web server from potential misconfiguration-based attacks is performing regular server configuration audits. A server configuration audit is a process of reviewing and verifying the security settings and parameters of the server, such as user accounts, permissions, services, ports, protocols, files, directories, logs, and patches. A server configuration audit can help you to identify and fix any security misconfigurations that may expose your server to attacks, such as using default credentials, enabling unnecessary services, leaving open ports, or missing security updates. A server configuration audit can also help you to comply with the security standards and best practices for your server, such as the CIS Benchmarks or the OWASP Secure Configuration Guide12.

The other options are not as effective as option A for the following reasons:

B. Enabling multi-factor authentication for users: This option is not relevant because it does not address the server misconfiguration issue, but the user authentication issue. Multi-factor authentication is a method of verifying the identity of the users by requiring them to provide two or more pieces of evidence, such as a password, a code, or a biometric factor. Multi-factor authentication can enhance the security of the user accounts and prevent unauthorized access, but it does not prevent the server from being attacked due to misconfigured settings or parameters3.

C. Implementing a firewall to filter traffic: This option is not sufficient because it does not prevent the server from being misconfigured, but only limits the exposure of the server to the network. A firewall is a device or software that monitors and controls the incoming and outgoing network traffic based on predefined rules. A firewall can protect the server from external attacks by blocking or allowing certain ports, protocols, or IP addresses. However, a firewall cannot protect the server from internal attacks or from attacks that exploit the allowed traffic. Moreover, a firewall itself can be misconfigured and cause security issues4.

D. Regularly backing up server data: This option is not preventive but reactive, as it does not protect the server from being attacked, but only helps to recover the data in case of an attack. Backing up server data is a process of creating and storing copies of the data on the server, such as files, databases, or configurations. Backing up server data can help you to restore the data in case of data loss, corruption, or deletion due to an attack. However, backing up server data does not prevent the server from being attacked in the first place, and it does not fix the security misconfigurations that may have caused the attack5.