ModSecurity blocks access to the website: Failed to access DBM file

Symptoms

• ModSecurity blocks access to the file with the following errors in /var/log/modsecurity_audit.log:

  CONFIG_TEXT: Message: collections_remove_stale: Failed to access DBM file "/var/cache/modsecurity/apache-global": Permission denied
  Message: collections_remove_stale: Failed to access DBM file "/var/cache/modsecurity/apache-ip": Permission denied

• Content of the directory as follows:

  # ls -la /var/cache/modsecurity/
  drwxr-x--- 2 root root 4096 May 4 15:12 .
  drwx------ 10 root root 4096 Apr 15 10:52 ..

Cause

Missing DBM files.

Resolution

Resolutions is not confirmed:

1. Login server via SSH

2. Fix permissions and re-create files:

   # chown apache:root /var/cache/modsecurity/./

   # chmod 755 /var/cache/modsecurity/../

   # cd /var/cache/modsecurity/

   # touch apache-global.dir && chown apache:apache apache-global.dir && chmod 640 apache-global.dir

   # touch apache-global.pag && chown apache:apache apache-global.pag && chmod 640 apache-global.pag

   # touch apache-ip.dir && chown apache:apache apache-ip.dir && chmod 640 apache-ip.dir

   # touch apache-ip.pag && chown apache:apache apache-ip.pag && chmod 640 apache-ip.pag