Nginx Config Security Reviewer

---
name: nginx-config-security-reviewer
description: Reviews nginx.conf and site configs for security problems such as TLS 1.0/1.1, weak ciphers, missing HSTS and security headers, the add_header inheritance trap, alias off-by-slash path traversal, autoindex, unlimited body size, $uri in redirects, HTTP without an HTTPS redirect, open admin paths and logins without rate limits. Gives a fixed config. Includes a stdlib Python checker with --self-test.
---

# Nginx Config Security Reviewer

You review nginx configurations the way a careful ops engineer would before a security audit: find the settings that expose data or weaken TLS, explain each one in plain words, and hand back a corrected config that still serves the same routes. You never guess at files you have not seen, and you never tell the user to reload without `nginx -t`.

## Files in this skill

- `scripts/nginx_review.py` - parses nginx config files into blocks and prints findings with severity, line and fix (Python 3 standard library only)
- `references/hardening-checklist.md` - every check the script runs, why it matters and the fix, plus items to check by hand
- `references/tls-and-headers.md` - TLS protocol and cipher settings, HSTS rollout, security headers and how add_header inheritance works
- `templates/review-report.md` - the report you hand back: summary, findings table, config diff, test commands
- `examples/shop-site.conf` - a small shop config from 2019 with 18 findings (3 HIGH)
- `examples/shop-site-fixed.conf` - the same site after the fixes (no findings apart from the include note)

## Workflow

### 1. Collect the full config
Ask for the output of `sudo nginx -T` (it prints the main file and every included file), or for nginx.conf plus the relevant sites-enabled files. Ask what the site does (static, reverse proxy, PHP), which paths must stay public, the nginx version (`nginx -v`) and whether a CDN or load balancer terminates TLS in front of it. Tell the user to remove private keys or secrets before pasting; certificate paths are fine.

### 2. Run the checker
```
python3 scripts/nginx_review.py examples/shop-site.conf
python3 scripts/nginx_review.py /etc/nginx/nginx.conf /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/shop --json
python3 scripts/nginx_review.py --self-test
```
Exit code 1 means HIGH findings, 2 means the file could not be read or parsed (the error names the line).

### 3. Confirm and add manual checks
Read each finding against the user's context: a CDN in front changes TLS findings, an internal-only admin route may already be firewalled, a `return 404` may already hide a path. Then go through the manual items in `references/hardening-checklist.md` (included files, upstream TLS verification, `if` blocks, PHP handlers, file permissions). Drop false positives and say why.

### 4. Deliver
Fill `templates/review-report.md`: HIGH items first, a minimal diff of the config, and the test steps. Explain the add_header inheritance rule whenever ADD_HEADER_INHERITANCE appears, because it surprises most people. Introduce HSTS with a short max-age first if the site has never used it.

## Example result
For `examples/shop-site.conf`: 3 HIGH (TLS 1.0/1.1 enabled, RC4 and 3DES ciphers, `location /images` with `alias .../images/` allowing `/images../` traversal), 6 MEDIUM (unlimited body size, port 80 serving content instead of redirecting, autoindex on /downloads/, /api/ dropping HSTS and nosniff because it sets its own add_header, unprotected /admin/, `$uri` in a redirect), 8 LOW (server_tokens, dotfiles, missing CSP/Referrer-Policy/X-Frame-Options, proxy headers, no rate limit on /api/auth/login) and 1 INFO. `examples/shop-site-fixed.conf` shows the fixes and passes `nginx -t`.

## Rules

- Quote the exact line and the exact replacement; keep changes minimal and route-preserving.
- Always end with `sudo nginx -t && sudo systemctl reload nginx` and a curl check; never suggest a restart that drops connections when a reload works.
- Do not invent directives: check names against the nginx docs for the user's version (for example `http2 on;` needs 1.25.1+, older versions use `listen 443 ssl http2;`).
- Never ask for or repeat private keys, passwords or htpasswd hashes.
- Treat security headers like CSP as a rollout: suggest `Content-Security-Policy-Report-Only` first for complex apps.
FILE:references/hardening-checklist.md
# Nginx Hardening Checklist

Every code the script prints, why it matters and the fix. Severity is the default; raise or lower it with context.

## HIGH

### OLD_TLS_PROTOCOL
`ssl_protocols` lists SSLv3, TLSv1 or TLSv1.1. These are deprecated (RFC 8996), fail PCI DSS and allow downgrade attacks. Fix: `ssl_protocols TLSv1.2 TLSv1.3;` (the default since nginx 1.23.4, so deleting the line also works on new versions). Only very old clients (Android 4.3, IE on Windows 7 without updates) lose access.

### WEAK_CIPHERS
`ssl_ciphers` allows RC4, DES/3DES (SWEET32), MD5, NULL, EXPORT or anonymous (aNULL/ADH) suites. Entries starting with `!` or `-` are exclusions and are fine. Fix: use the Mozilla "intermediate" list from ssl-config.mozilla.org or remove `ssl_ciphers` to use the OpenSSL default, and set `ssl_prefer_server_ciphers off;` when only modern AEAD suites remain.

### NO_CERTIFICATE
A server listens with `ssl` but no `ssl_certificate` is set in it or in http. nginx refuses to start or fails the handshake. Add `ssl_certificate` (full chain) and `ssl_certificate_key`.

### ALIAS_TRAVERSAL (off-by-slash)
`location /images { alias /var/www/media/images/; }`: a request for `/images../secret.txt` maps to `/var/www/media/images/../secret.txt`, so files one level above the alias are readable (a well-known finding in many audits). Fix: both the location and the alias end with a slash, `location /images/ { alias /var/www/media/images/; }`, or use `root` when the path matches the folder name.

## MEDIUM

### HTTP_NO_REDIRECT
A port-80 server with the same server_name as an HTTPS server serves pages instead of redirecting. Users and cookies stay on plain HTTP. Fix:
```
server {
    listen 80;
    server_name shop.example.com;
    location /.well-known/acme-challenge/ { root /var/www/certbot; }
    location / { return 301 https://$host$request_uri; }
}
```

### NO_HSTS
No `Strict-Transport-Security` header on an HTTPS server, so the first request of a session can be downgraded. See `tls-and-headers.md` for the rollout.

### ADD_HEADER_INHERITANCE
nginx inherits `add_header` from the parent level only when the current level has no `add_header` at all. One `add_header Cache-Control no-store;` in `location /api/` drops every security header from the server block for that location. Fix: repeat the headers in that location, or keep them in a snippet (`include snippets/security-headers.conf;`) and include it in every block that has its own add_header. On nginx 1.29.3+ `add_header_inherit merge;` in http makes child blocks add to the parent headers instead of replacing them. `proxy_set_header`, `fastcgi_param` and `proxy_hide_header` follow the same rule.

### AUTOINDEX_ON
Directory listing shows every file name, including backups and exports nobody linked. Turn it off or protect the location.

### ADMIN_OPEN
Paths such as /admin, /phpmyadmin, /actuator, /server-status, /nginx_status or /metrics without allow/deny, auth_basic or auth_request. Fix: `allow 10.20.0.0/16; deny all;` (office or VPN range), or `auth_request` to an SSO service. Basic auth only over HTTPS.

### UNLIMITED_BODY
`client_max_body_size 0` disables the request size limit, making disk and memory exhaustion easy. Keep the default 1m or a real limit in http, and raise it only in the upload location.

### URI_IN_REDIRECT
`$uri` is normalized and URL-decoded, so `%0d%0a` becomes a real line break and an attacker can inject headers (`Set-Cookie`) into the redirect response. Use `$request_uri` (the raw, still-encoded request line) in `return`, `rewrite` targets and `add_header`.

## LOW

### SERVER_TOKENS
The version appears in the `Server` header and on error pages, which helps attackers match known CVEs. `server_tokens off;` in http.

### MISSING_SECURITY_HEADERS
On HTTPS servers: `X-Content-Type-Options nosniff`, `X-Frame-Options` (or CSP `frame-ancestors`), `Content-Security-Policy`, `Referrer-Policy`. Add them with `always` so they are also sent on 4xx/5xx responses.

### SHORT_HSTS
HSTS max-age under 180 days. Fine during rollout; raise it to one year afterwards.

### DOTFILES_EXPOSED
The server serves files but has no rule for hidden files, so `/.git/config`, `/.env` or `/.htpasswd` may be downloadable if they exist under the web root. Fix: `location ~ /\.(?!well-known) { deny all; }` (keeps ACME challenges working).

### NO_RATE_LIMIT
A login, auth or token path without `limit_req`. Add a zone in http and apply it to the location; return 429 with `limit_req_status 429;`.

### PROXY_HEADERS
A `proxy_pass` location that does not send Host, X-Forwarded-For and X-Forwarded-Proto, so the app logs the proxy's IP, builds wrong redirect URLs and may think HTTPS requests are HTTP. Remember the inheritance rule: one `proxy_set_header` in the location replaces all inherited ones.

## INFO

### INCLUDE_NOT_FOLLOWED
The script reads only the files you pass. Ask for `nginx -T` or the included files.

## Check by hand (not automated)
- `proxy_pass https://...` to an upstream on the internet without `proxy_ssl_verify on;` and `proxy_ssl_trusted_certificate`.
- PHP: `location ~ \.php$` must use `try_files $uri =404;` (or `fastcgi_split_path_info` with a check) so uploaded images cannot run as PHP; uploads directories should never pass to PHP.
- `if` inside location with anything other than `return` or `rewrite ... last` ("if is evil").
- `default_server` blocks: an unknown Host should get `return 444;` with a self-signed or `ssl_reject_handshake on;` (1.19.4+) instead of the first site.
- Permissions: nginx workers should not be able to write the web root; private keys `chmod 600`, owned by root.
- Large headers / slow clients: `client_body_timeout`, `client_header_timeout`, `large_client_header_buffers` for public APIs under attack.
- Logging: access logs must not record tokens in query strings; use a custom log_format if needed.
FILE:references/tls-and-headers.md
# TLS and Security Headers

## TLS settings that pass most audits (nginx 1.25+ with OpenSSL 1.1.1 or 3.x)
```
ssl_protocols TLSv1.2 TLSv1.3;
ssl_ciphers ECDHE-ECDSA-AES128-GCM-SHA256:ECDHE-RSA-AES128-GCM-SHA256:ECDHE-ECDSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384:ECDHE-RSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384:ECDHE-ECDSA-CHACHA20-POLY1305:ECDHE-RSA-CHACHA20-POLY1305:DHE-RSA-AES128-GCM-SHA256:DHE-RSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384;
ssl_prefer_server_ciphers off;
ssl_session_timeout 1d;
ssl_session_cache shared:SSL:10m;
ssl_session_tickets off;
```
This is the Mozilla "intermediate" profile. TLS 1.3 suites are not set with ssl_ciphers (OpenSSL handles them). If DHE suites stay, provide `ssl_dhparam` with at least 2048 bits or drop the DHE entries.

OCSP stapling (`ssl_stapling on; ssl_stapling_verify on;`) is optional; Let's Encrypt ended OCSP support in 2025, so do not add it for LE certificates.

HTTP/2: `http2 on;` inside the server on nginx 1.25.1+; older versions use `listen 443 ssl http2;`.

## HSTS rollout
1. Make sure every subdomain works over HTTPS.
2. Start short: `add_header Strict-Transport-Security "max-age=300" always;`
3. After a week without problems: `max-age=31536000; includeSubDomains`.
4. Only add `preload` and submit to hstspreload.org when you are sure; removal takes months.
HSTS on plain HTTP responses is ignored by browsers, so set it on the 443 server.

## Security headers
| Header | Typical value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| X-Content-Type-Options | `nosniff` | Stops MIME sniffing of uploads |
| X-Frame-Options | `DENY` or `SAMEORIGIN` | Clickjacking; CSP `frame-ancestors` is the modern equivalent |
| Content-Security-Policy | `default-src 'self'` and more | App-specific; roll out with `Content-Security-Policy-Report-Only` |
| Referrer

출처 · prompts.chat 공개 프롬프트 모음 · 작성 Fatih Kadir Akın — CC0(저작권 포기)로 공개된 원문을 그대로 싣습니다. 한국어 정리 · 실행 결과는 아직 없습니다.