If your website does not actively use .shtml files for dynamic content, the safest fix is to turn off SSI entirely. This removes the attack vector.
For Apache Servers:
Locate your httpd.conf or .htaccess file. Look for the Options directive. If you see Includes or IncludesNOEXEC, remove them.
Change:
Options Indexes FollowSymLinks Includes
To:
Options Indexes FollowSymLinks
Alternatively, you can explicitly disable it:
Options -Includes
We will start with the easiest fixes and move toward the more technical server configurations.
Sometimes you apply the fix but still cannot view SHTML as intended. Try these deep diagnostics: view shtml fix
When users search for "view shtml fix," they usually fall into one of three scenarios:
In all three cases, the "fix" revolves around telling the web server (Apache, Nginx, IIS, or LiteSpeed) how to handle Server Side Includes (SSI) correctly.
Some older servers require you to mark the file as executable for SSI to work. If your website does not actively use
This tells Apache to parse any file with the execute bit set as an SSI file, regardless of extension.
The "view shtml fix" is a colloquial term used to describe a common issue encountered by web developers and users alike, where the .shtml files (or similar server-side includes) do not render correctly or are not being executed as expected by the web server. This issue can lead to broken web pages, incorrect content display, or even security vulnerabilities. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the potential causes of the "view shtml fix" issue, along with practical troubleshooting steps and solutions.
After applying changes, restart Apache:
sudo systemctl restart apache2
Create a test file test.shtml containing:
<html><body>
Current time: <!--#echo var="DATE_LOCAL" -->
</body></html>
If you see a dynamic time stamp, the view shtml fix is successful.