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Start by preserving raw evidence outside the web server. Then correlate NGINX access and error logs with WAF decisions, PHP-FPM activity, filesystem changes, authentication events, and host telemetry. Finally, verify the NGINX-to-PHP execution boundary so that guessed or uploaded filenames cannot be executed accidentally.
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What a strange PHP request tells you—and what it does not
Attack scanners routinely request filenames such as /old-admin.php, /shell.php, or paths associated with popular content-management systems and plugins. They are testing whether a known file, a forgotten backup, or a vulnerable endpoint exists. A single odd request that returns 404 and never reaches PHP is commonly just background noise.
Access-log evidence becomes more significant when requests cluster in time, cover many unrelated filenames, use exploit-like query strings, or produce an unexpected application response. Neither a URI nor a status code proves compromise by itself. A 404 can be generated before PHP runs; a 500 can be an ordinary application bug; and a 200 response can be a legitimate endpoint. Your conclusion must come from correlated evidence.
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| Observed result | Likely interpretation | What to verify next |
|---|---|---|
| 404, with no upstream request | Path guessing that failed at NGINX | Confirm the request did not reach PHP-FPM and check for a wider scan pattern. |
| 404, with upstream activity | Application-level handling or a routing mistake | Review FastCGI parameters, application logs, and whether nonexistent scripts are being forwarded. |
| 500 from an unfamiliar PHP path | A failing code path, misconfiguration, or possible exploit attempt | Correlate PHP-FPM errors, request parameters, filesystem state, and process activity. |
| 200 or 30x from an unexpected script | Potentially valid code execution or an exposed endpoint | Identify the file, owner, modification time, code behavior, and related authentication or file events. |
| WAF rejection | A policy or signature detected the request | Use the WAF support or request ID to compare the raw request with NGINX and upstream records. |
Preserve evidence before changing the server
Do not begin by deleting suspicious files, restarting services, or rotating logs. Those actions can destroy the timeline you need. Copy the original access and error logs, WAF or security logs, PHP-FPM logs, and relevant host telemetry to access-controlled storage that the web server cannot write to. Preserve original timestamps and permissions, and record who made each copy.
OWASP’s Test Application Platform Configuration guidance warns: “Log statistics or analysis should not be generated, nor stored, in the same server that produces the logs.” An intruder with control of the web server may be able to edit or erase local evidence. CISA has documented PHP web-shell intrusions in which access, error, and authentication logs were deleted, so check for gaps in log continuity rather than assuming an empty interval is benign.
A simple first capture on a Linux host might look like this; adjust paths and privileges to your distribution:
sudo install -d -m 700 /var/forensics/nginx-incident
sudo cp --preserve=all /var/log/nginx/access.log /var/forensics/nginx-incident/
sudo cp --preserve=all /var/log/nginx/error.log /var/forensics/nginx-incident/
sudo cp --preserve=all /var/log/php*-fpm.log /var/forensics/nginx-incident/ 2>/dev/null
sudo sha256sum /var/forensics/nginx-incident/*Store the resulting directory on a separate system or immutable repository as soon as practical. If the host may be actively compromised, isolate it according to your incident procedure while keeping volatile evidence and network telemetry available.
Confirm where NGINX logs requests and which fields they contain
NGINX uses log_format to define each record and access_log to choose its destination. Its documented default is logs/access.log in the combined format, but distributions and virtual hosts often override both. Inspect the effective configuration, not only the file you expect:
sudo nginx -T 2>/dev/null | lessFind the active log_format and access_log directives for the affected server block. For an investigation, each record should expose enough context to reconstruct a request:
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- Timestamp, client address, request method, URI, query string, protocol, status, and response size.
- Referrer and user agent, while recognizing that both can be forged.
- Total request time and upstream response time.
- Upstream address and status, when a request is passed to PHP-FPM.
- A request identifier that is also logged by the WAF and application, where your stack supports one.
Keep raw records unchanged. Create filtered copies for analysis so that a parser or spreadsheet cannot overwrite the original evidence. Record the server’s timezone and clock source; correlation fails when one system uses UTC and another uses local time or has drifted.
Correlate every request across the evidence streams
Ordinary NGINX access logs and F5 WAF security logs are separate streams. F5 describes security logs as containing HTTP requests, responses, policy decisions, violations, and attack signatures, while access logs describe the transaction as NGINX handled it. Its logging variables can include a support ID, a PASSED or REJECTED outcome, and an outcome reason. Use that identifier when available; otherwise correlate on a narrow timestamp, source address, method, URI, and request sequence.
Build a timeline for each suspicious cluster. Include the original request line, decoded and raw query strings, status, upstream status, WAF decision, PHP-FPM message, file event, process event, and authentication event. A short interval—seconds rather than an entire day—reduces false matches when many clients are active.
Useful analysis commands can produce a working view without altering the originals:
sudo grep -E '(/[^ ]+.php|/.env|wp-|/upload)' /var/log/nginx/access.log
sudo awk '$9 ~ /^(404|500)$/' /var/log/nginx/access.log
sudo journalctl --since '2026-10-15 10:00:00' --until '2026-10-15 10:30:00'The date in the example is illustrative; use the exact incident window and the host’s configured timezone. If a WAF or reverse proxy sits in front of NGINX, verify which address is the original client and which is the proxy. Do not treat a forged X-Forwarded-For value as authoritative unless the proxy chain is explicitly trusted.
Classify the request pattern
Bursts of nonexistent paths
OWASP recommends reviewing bursts of 40x responses because they can indicate scanning. A client that requests dozens of unrelated PHP, CGI, backup, and CMS paths in seconds is more suspicious than one mistyped URL. Group requests by source address, user agent, URI family, and time window. Distributed scanners may use many addresses, so also look for the same path sequence, headers, or query pattern across sources.
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Encoded traversal and hidden files
Flag encoded ../ sequences, repeated URL encoding, double extensions, requests for /.env, and attempts to reach configuration, backup, or version-control files. These are triage indicators, not proof that a traversal succeeded. Check the normalized path seen by NGINX, the path passed upstream, and the filesystem result.
Suspicious methods, bodies, and parameters
Unexpected POST requests to a file-upload endpoint or a normally read-only PHP path deserve priority. Preserve request bodies where policy and privacy controls allow, and look for command-like parameters, serialized payloads, or filenames ending in executable extensions. A uniform user agent can indicate a tool, but attackers can copy legitimate browser strings, so user-agent matching alone is weak evidence.
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OWASP identifies 500 bursts as useful signals because probing may have reached code paths that fail unexpectedly. A 500 is not a compromise verdict. Determine whether PHP-FPM logged a fatal error, whether the same input reproduces the failure in a safe environment, and whether any file, process, outbound connection, or credential event occurred at the same time.
Check whether PHP actually executed
First establish the request’s path through NGINX. A request can terminate in a static-file or rewrite rule without invoking PHP-FPM. Compare the access record’s upstream fields with PHP-FPM logs and, where available, application request IDs. No upstream activity for a 404 generally supports a failed path guess; an upstream record means the application or routing layer handled it.
Next examine the filesystem and runtime for persistence:
- List PHP files created or modified around the request window, especially in upload, cache, temporary, and media directories.
- Inspect unexpected scripts for obfuscated code, dynamic command execution, file-write functions, or network calls. Preserve a copy before opening it in an editor.
- Check file owners, group ownership, permissions, symbolic links, and whether the web-server account can write to directories from which PHP is executable.
- Review PHP-FPM child-process counts, crashes, unusual command-line arguments, and workers that remain active after the request ends.
- Review outbound DNS and network connections from the host, new cron entries, systemd services, startup scripts, and shell history where policy permits.
- Correlate authentication successes, failures, privilege changes, API-token use, and administrative actions with the request times.
OWASP’s Testing for Upload of Malicious Files guidance states: “If the server is configured to execute code, then it may be possible to obtain command execution on the server by uploading a file known as a web shell, which allows you to execute arbitrary code or operating system commands.” This is why an upload directory must not be both writable by the application and executable by PHP.
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To locate recently changed scripts, use a bounded time range and preserve metadata:
sudo find /var/www -type f -name '*.php' -mmin -180 -printf '%TY-%Tm-%Td %TH:%TM:%TS %u %m %pn' 2>/dev/null
sudo stat /var/www/example/path.phpThe command identifies candidates, not maliciousness. Compare each result with deployment records, package updates, and the application’s expected release files.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Audit the NGINX-to-PHP execution boundary
PHP commonly runs behind FastCGI. NGINX’s fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME determines the script name passed to PHP, so an incorrect value can execute a different file than the administrator expects. Review the complete server and location configuration, including inherited snippets.
Verify document-root and alias behavior
Check every root and alias directive, especially in regex locations. An alias that maps a URL to an unintended directory can expose files outside the intended application tree. Confirm that symlinks and path normalization do not bypass the intended root.
Verify existence checks
Inspect try_files and rewrite rules. The PHP location should not forward arbitrary nonexistent scripts to PHP-FPM. A common safe design checks that the target file exists before handing it to FastCGI, while front-controller applications route only their designated entry script. Test both a real script and a random nonexistent .php path in a controlled environment.
Review path-info handling
Examine fastcgi_split_path_info and related regex locations. Misinterpreting /file.php/extra can cause the wrong portion of a request to become the script filename or path information. Confirm that the application’s framework expects the chosen behavior.
Review upload handling
Ensure uploaded content is stored outside the executable document tree or is served from a location where PHP execution is explicitly disabled. Restrict writable permissions, validate filenames and content types server-side, and reject double-extension tricks. Configuration review is not complete until you test the effective behavior through the same proxy and virtual host that receives production traffic.
Decide whether the evidence indicates scanning or compromise
| Evidence level | Typical findings | Response |
|---|---|---|
| Unproven noise | One or a few 404s, no upstream activity, no file or host changes | Retain the records, confirm logging, and add or tune detection. |
| Likely reconnaissance | Large 404 burst, repeated exploit paths, uniform automation, WAF blocks, no execution evidence | Block or rate-limit as appropriate, investigate the source pattern, and verify configuration. |
| Suspicious execution | Unexpected 200/30x or 500 with upstream activity, unusual parameters, PHP-FPM errors, or a newly changed script | Escalate to incident response, preserve the host, and isolate affected endpoints. |
| Probable compromise | Unauthorized executable file, web-shell behavior, unexplained process or outbound connection, credential use, or deleted logs | Contain the host, follow the documented incident process, rebuild from trusted sources when required, and rotate exposed credentials. |
Status codes and request strings cannot establish these levels alone. The deciding evidence is whether an attacker crossed from request handling into code execution or persistence.
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- Preserve first. Complete off-host copies and hashes of logs and relevant files before cleanup.
- Reduce exposure. Restrict or isolate the affected endpoint or host while maintaining the evidence needed for analysis. Do not rely on deleting one suspicious filename if the attacker may have persistence elsewhere.
- Patch the vulnerable component. Update NGINX, PHP, the framework, CMS, plugins, and upload handlers through your normal change process. Remove unsupported components and unused administrative paths.
- Remove unauthorized code methodically. Record each file, hash, owner, timestamp, and reason for removal. If integrity cannot be established, rebuild from a trusted image or known-good release rather than attempting ad-hoc cleaning.
- Rotate credentials. Reset credentials, API keys, database passwords, signing secrets, and session material that could have been exposed. Invalidate active sessions where appropriate.
- Restore trustworthy logging. Compare current logging directives with a known-good configuration and verify that access, error, authentication, WAF, and PHP-FPM events are reaching their intended destinations.
- Monitor for recurrence. Alert on new executable files in writable directories, repeated suspicious paths, unexpected PHP-FPM errors, outbound connections, and gaps in log delivery.
Build durable visibility and hardening
Forward NGINX logs to a separate system using its supported syslog mechanisms, and restrict who can read raw records. Retain enough history to reconstruct the initial request, subsequent actions, and recovery. Immutable or append-only storage is preferable when your environment supports it.
PHP’s documentation says setting expose_php=off reduces information disclosed to attackers, but also notes that security by obscurity is weak. Treat this as a minor hardening measure, not a defense against vulnerable code. The important controls are timely patching, least-privilege file permissions, non-executable upload locations, validated routing, and independent monitoring.
| Control dimension | Questions to ask |
|---|---|
| Visibility | Do you collect NGINX access and error logs, WAF decisions, PHP-FPM events, filesystem changes, and host telemetry? |
| Correlation | Can a request ID or precise timestamp connect the same transaction across proxy, WAF, application, and host records? |
| Retention and tamper resistance | Are logs stored off-host or immutably, with access controls and documented retention? |
| Detection depth | Do signatures, anomaly rules, and file-integrity checks cover both scanning and persistence? |
| Response speed | Can you block, isolate, patch, and rotate credentials quickly without destroying evidence? |
| Operational cost | What staffing, storage, tuning, and false-positive burden will the control create? |
A practical investigation checklist
- Copy raw NGINX, WAF, PHP-FPM, host, and authentication logs to access-controlled off-host storage.
- Hash preserved files and document timezone, clock status, custodians, and the investigation window.
- Confirm the effective
log_formatandaccess_logdestinations withnginx -T. - Extract method, URI, query string, source, status, upstream status, timings, user agent, and request ID.
- Group 404 and 500 bursts by source, path family, user agent, and time.
- Match WAF support IDs or timestamps to NGINX and PHP-FPM records.
- Determine whether suspicious requests reached PHP-FPM.
- Search for recently modified PHP files, executable uploads, process anomalies, outbound connections, and credential events.
- Review
root,alias,try_files,fastcgi_split_path_info,fastcgi_param, and upload locations. - Contain, patch, remove or rebuild, rotate secrets, restore logging, and add recurrence detection according to the incident plan.
Bottom line
Random PHP paths are often scanners looking for an easy target, but the safe response is evidence-led investigation rather than dismissal. Preserve logs away from the host, correlate NGINX with WAF, PHP-FPM, filesystem, and host telemetry, and verify exactly which files NGINX can pass to PHP. A failed 404 scan needs monitoring; unexpected execution, persistence, altered logs, or host activity requires incident response.
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