Failed to access DBM file in Apache error_log

Symptoms

There are secdatadir DBM file errors seen in the Apache error log:

CONFIG_TEXT: [Wed Aug 19 15:35:40.205810 2020] [:error] [pid 2532] ModSecurity: collections_remove_stale: Failed to access DBM file "/var/cpanel/secdatadir/username-global": Permission denied [hostname "www.domain.tld"] [uri "/.well-known/pki-validation/5246234dDF4fg.txt"] [unique_id "fgdfgdfhSgsgSg"]

Cause

Incompatibilities with mod_ruid2 and mod_security cause these errors.

Resolution

You can fix this by switching from mod_ruid2 to mod_suexec. Steps to switch to mod_suexec:

1. Log in to WHM as the root user.
2. Navigate to Home / Software / EasyApache 4.
3. In the Currently Installed Packages box, click Customize.
4. Navigate to Apache Modules and tick mod_ruid2 off.
5. Search for mod_suexec and enable it.
6. Click Review on the left-hand side.
7. Scroll down and click Provision.

Note: Operating systems that use APT use dashes rather than underscores for package names. As a result, the packages would appear as mod-ruid2 instead of mod_ruid2.

Additional Information

mod_ruid2 vs mod_suexec