[CentOS] Apache Security

Matthew T. O'Connor
2006-06-22T16:53:09Z

Hello, I have a server running CentOS 4.3 with all the latest updates.
The server in question has been hacked by spammers a few times.  The
details of the hack have been basically the same every time.  I find
some directory created by the apache user account in /tmp.  The new
directory contains an html file, and a list of email addresses to spam
and a perl script that spams all those email addresses with the html file.

My question is why is this happening?  Obviously it's some apache
exploit.  I have removed mod_perl, that didn't help.  I have now changed
the permissions on the perl executable, that might help we will see, but
that doesn't address the core problem.  How is it that someone can
upload arbitrary files to my server and then execute an arbitrary
command via apache.

Is this a know problem?  Have others seen it?  What can I do to help
prevent this?

Thanks,

Matt