March 24, 2004 — (WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — The Apache Software Foundation (apache.org) has upgraded its open source Web server, releasing version 2.0.49, according to reports published this week. The latest version is compatible with modules compiled for 2.0.42 and later.
Sander Striker, a director of the Apache Software Foundation (ASF), told ServerWatch that the release was “regular” and not made in reaction to any security contingencies. However, Apache’s change log shows that there are a number of security-related bug fixes and enhancements that deal with previously identified vulnerabilities. Some of these vulnerabilities expose the platform to potential distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks.
Apache’s HTTP Server 1.3.x distribution, its most popular Web server, was not updated. ASF reportedly declined to compare the security of the 1.3 and 2.0 distributions of its Web server. Open source Web servers are generally considered more secure than Microsoft-based platforms.
