Disabling the TRACE or TRACK methods from inside Apache are highly recommended and are now actually required in order to be PCI Compliant. To disable the method in a cPanel server the process is very easy:
(This method has been tested and documented for cPanel Version 11.24.4. Links may change based on cPanel versions)
- Access your Web Hosting Manager (WHM)
- Under Service Configuration, click the link for Apache Configuration
- Click the Global Configuration link
- The second option is TraceEnable. Set this to OFF.
- Restart Apache
To test and verify that the TRACE method is disabled on the server, you can do it two way;
Internal test from Shell:
telnet localhost 80
This should respond with waiting on a character. This proves the connection can not be made, and you will only be able to exit from it by pressing CONTROL-C on your keyboard.
External Test from a remote site:
http://web-sniffer.net/
Using the above URL, you can enter your domain name or main IP numbers for your server, then select the radio button for TRACE. After running the test, you see in the HTTP Response Headers the following information
"HTTP Status Code: HTTP/1.1 405 Method Not Allowed"
