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Objective ID
Severity
Discussion
V-63147
medium
Enabling lockdown mode disables direct access to an ESXi host requiring the host be managed remotely from vCenter Server. This is done to ensure the roles and access controls implemented in vCenter are always enforced and users cannot bypass them by logging into a host directly. By forcing all interaction to occur through vCenter Server, the risk of someone inadvertently attaining elevated privileges or performing tasks that are not properly audited is greatly reduced.
V-63173
low
Lockdown mode disables direct host access requiring that admins manage hosts from vCenter Server. However, if a host becomes isolated from vCenter Server, the admin is locked out and can no longer manage the host. If you are using normal lockdown mode, you can avoid becoming locked out of an ESXi host that is running in lockdown mode, by setting DCUI.Access to a list of highly trusted users who can override lockdown mode and access the DCUI. The DCUI is not running in strict lockdown mode.
V-63175
low
In vSphere 6.0 and later, you can add users to the Exception Users list from the vSphere Web Client. These users do not lose their permissions when the host enters lockdown mode. Usually you may want to add service accounts such as a backup agent to the Exception Users list. Verify that the list of users who are exempted from losing permissions is legitimate and as needed per your environment. Users who do not require special permissions should not be exempted from lockdown mode.
V-63177
medium
Remote logging to a central log host provides a secure, centralized store for ESXi logs. By gathering host log files onto a central host it can more easily monitor all hosts with a single tool. It can also do aggregate analysis and searching to look for such things as coordinated attacks on multiple hosts. Logging to a secure, centralized log server also helps prevent log tampering and also provides a long-term audit record.
V-63179
medium
By limiting the number of failed login attempts, the risk of unauthorized access via user password guessing, otherwise known as brute-forcing, is reduced. Limits are imposed by locking the account.
V-63181
medium
By limiting the number of failed login attempts, the risk of unauthorized access via user password guessing, otherwise known as brute-forcing, is reduced. Limits are imposed by locking the account.
V-63183
medium
Failure to display the DoD logon banner prior to a log in attempt will negate legal proceedings resulting from unauthorized access to system resources.
V-63185
medium
Failure to display the DoD logon banner prior to a log in attempt will negate legal proceedings resulting from unauthorized access to system resources.
V-63187
medium
The warning message reinforces policy awareness during the logon process and facilitates possible legal action against attackers. Alternatively, systems whose ownership should not be obvious should ensure usage of a banner that does not provide easy attribution.
V-63189
medium
Approved algorithms should impart some level of confidence in their implementation. These are also required for compliance.
Note: This does not imply FIPS 140-2 certification.
Note: This does not imply FIPS 140-2 certification.
V-63191
high
SSH protocol version 1 suffers from design flaws that result in security vulnerabilities and should not be used.
V-63193
medium
SSH trust relationships mean a compromise on one host can allow an attacker to move trivially to other hosts.
V-63195
medium
SSH trust relationships mean a compromise on one host can allow an attacker to move trivially to other hosts.
V-63197
low
Permitting direct root login reduces auditable information about who ran privileged commands on the system and also allows direct attack attempts on root's password.
V-63199
high
Configuring this setting for the SSH daemon provides additional assurance that remote login via SSH will require a password, even in the event of misconfiguration elsewhere.
V-63201
medium
SSH environment options potentially allow users to bypass access restriction in some configurations.
V-63203
medium
DoD information systems are required to use FIPS 140-2 approved cryptographic hash functions.
Note: This does not imply FIPS 140-2 certification.
Note: This does not imply FIPS 140-2 certification.
V-63205
low
GSSAPI authentication is used to provide additional authentication mechanisms to applications. Allowing GSSAPI authentication through SSH exposes the system’s GSSAPI to remote hosts, increasing the attack surface of the system.
V-63207
low
Kerberos authentication for SSH is often implemented using GSSAPI. If Kerberos is enabled through SSH, the SSH daemon provides a means of access to the system's Kerberos implementation. Vulnerabilities in the system's Kerberos implementation may then be subject to exploitation. To reduce the attack surface of the system, the Kerberos authentication mechanism within SSH must be disabled for systems.
V-63209
medium
If other users have access to modify user-specific SSH configuration files, they may be able to log into the system as another user.
V-63211
medium
If compression is allowed in an SSH connection prior to authentication, vulnerabilities in the compression software could result in compromise of the system from an unauthenticated connection, potentially with root privileges.
V-63213
low
SSH TCP connection forwarding provides a mechanism to establish TCP connections proxied by the SSH server. This function can provide similar convenience to a Virtual Private Network (VPN) with the similar risk of providing a path to circumvent firewalls and network ACLs. Gateway ports allow remote forwarded ports to bind to non-loopback addresses on the server.
V-63215
medium
X11 forwarding over SSH allows for the secure remote execution of X11-based applications. This feature can increase the attack surface of an SSH connection.
V-63217
medium
Environment variables can be used to change the behavior of remote sessions and should be limited. Locate environment variables that specify the language, character set, and other features modifying the operation of software to match the user's preferences.
V-63219
medium
OpenSSH has the ability to create network tunnels (layer-2 and layer-3) over an SSH connection. This function can provide similar convenience to a Virtual Private Network (VPN) with the similar risk of providing a path to circumvent firewalls and network ACLs.
V-63221
low
This ensures a user login will be terminated as soon as the "ClientAliveCountMax" is reached.
V-63223
low
Causing idle users to be automatically logged out guards against compromises one system leading trivially to compromises on another.
V-63225
medium
The SSH protocol has the ability to provide multiple sessions over a single connection without reauthentication. A compromised client could use this feature to establish additional sessions to a system without consent or knowledge of the user.
V-63227
medium
ESXi hosts come with SSH which can be enabled to allow remote access without requiring user authentication. To enable password free access copy the remote users public key into the "/etc/ssh/keys-root/authorized_keys" file on the ESXi host. The presence of the remote user's public key in the "authorized_keys" file identifies the user as trusted, meaning the user is granted access to the host without providing a password. If using Lockdown Mode and SSH is disabled then login with authorized keys will have the same restrictions as username/password.
V-63229
low
Without establishing what types of events occurred, it would be difficult to establish, correlate, and investigate the events leading up to an outage or attack.
V-63231
medium
To enforce the use of complex passwords, minimum numbers of characters of different classes are mandated. The use of complex passwords reduces the ability of attackers to successfully obtain valid passwords using guessing or exhaustive search techniques. Complexity requirements increase the password search space by requiring users to construct passwords from a larger character set than they may otherwise use.
V-63233
medium
If a user, or root, used the same password continuously or was allowed to change it back shortly after being forced to change it to something else, it would provide a potential intruder with the opportunity to keep guessing at one user's password until it was guessed correctly.
V-63235
medium
Systems must employ cryptographic hashes for passwords using the SHA-2 family of algorithms or FIPS 140-2 approved successors. The use of unapproved algorithms may result in weak password hashes more vulnerable to compromise.
V-63237
medium
The Managed Object Browser (MOB) provides a way to explore the object model used by the VMkernel to manage the host and enables configurations to be changed as well. This interface is meant to be used primarily for debugging the vSphere SDK, but because there are no access controls it could also be used as a method obtain information about a host being targeted for unauthorized access.
V-63239
medium
The ESXi Shell is an interactive command line interface (CLI) available at the ESXi server console. The ESXi shell provides temporary access to commands essential for server maintenance. Intended primarily for use in break-fix scenarios, the ESXi shell is well suited for checking and modifying configuration details, not always generally accessible, using the vSphere Client. The ESXi shell is accessible remotely using SSH by users with the Administrator role. Under normal operating conditions, SSH access to the host must be disabled as is the default. As with the ESXi shell, SSH is also intended only for temporary use during break-fix scenarios. SSH must therefore be disabled under normal operating conditions and must only be enabled for diagnostics or troubleshooting. Remote access to the host must therefore be limited to the vSphere Client at all other times.
V-63241
medium
The ESXi Shell is an interactive command line environment available locally from the DCUI or remotely via SSH. Activities performed from the ESXi Shell bypass vCenter RBAC and audit controls. The ESXi shell should only be turned on when needed to troubleshoot/resolve problems that cannot be fixed through the vSphere client.
V-63243
low
Join ESXi hosts to an Active Directory (AD) domain to eliminate the need to create and maintain multiple local user accounts. Using AD for user authentication simplifies the ESXi host configuration, ensures password complexity and reuse policies are enforced and reduces the risk of security breaches and unauthorized access. Note: If the AD group "ESX Admins" (default) exists then all users and groups that are assigned as members to this group will have full administrative access to all ESXi hosts the domain.
V-63245
medium
If you configure your host to join an Active Directory domain using Host Profiles the Active Directory credentials are saved in the host profile and are transmitted over the network. To avoid having to save Active Directory credentials in the Host Profile and to avoid transmitting Active Directory credentials over the network use the vSphere Authentication Proxy.
V-63247
low
When adding ESXi hosts to Active Directory, if the group "ESX Admins" exists, all user/group accounts assigned to the group will have full administrative access to the host. Discretion should be used when managing membership to the "ESX Admins" group.
V-63249
low
To assure accountability and prevent unauthenticated access, privileged users must utilize multifactor authentication to prevent potential misuse and compromise of the system.
V-63251
medium
If a user forgets to log out of their SSH session, the idle connection will remains open indefinitely, increasing the potential for someone to gain privileged access to the host. The ESXiShellInteractiveTimeOut allows you to automatically terminate idle shell sessions.
V-63253
medium
When the ESXi Shell or SSH services are enabled on a host they will run indefinitely. To avoid having these services left running set the ESXiShellTimeOut. The ESXiShellTimeOut defines a window of time after which the ESXi Shell and SSH services will automatically be terminated.
V-63255
medium
When the Direct console user interface (DCUI) is enabled and logged in it should be automatically logged out if left logged in to avoid unauthorized privilege gains. The DcuiTimeOut defines a window of time after which the DCUI will be logged out.
V-63257
low
In the event of a system failure, the system must preserve any information necessary to determine cause of failure and any information necessary to return to operations with least disruption to mission processes.
V-63259
medium
ESXi can be configured to store log files on an in-memory file system. This occurs when the host's "/scratch" directory is linked to "/tmp/scratch". When this is done only a single day's worth of logs are stored at any time. In addition log files will be reinitialized upon each reboot. This presents a security risk as user activity logged on the host is only stored temporarily and will not persistent across reboots. This can also complicate auditing and make it harder to monitor events and diagnose issues. ESXi host logging should always be configured to a persistent datastore.
Note: Scratch space is configured automatically during installation or first boot of an ESXi host, and does not usually need to be manually configured. ESXi Installable creates a 4 GB Fat16 partition on the target device during installation if there is sufficient space, and if the device is considered Local. If ESXi is installed on an SD card or USB device a persistent log location may not be configured upon install as normal.
Note: Scratch space is configured automatically during installation or first boot of an ESXi host, and does not usually need to be manually configured. ESXi Installable creates a 4 GB Fat16 partition on the target device during installation if there is sufficient space, and if the device is considered Local. If ESXi is installed on an SD card or USB device a persistent log location may not be configured upon install as normal.
V-63261
medium
To assure the accuracy of the system clock, it must be synchronized with an authoritative time source within DoD. Many system functions, including time-based login and activity restrictions, automated reports, system logs, and audit records depend on an accurate system clock. If there is no confidence in the correctness of the system clock, time-based functions may not operate as intended and records may be of diminished value.
V-63263
high
Verify the ESXi Image Profile to only allow signed VIBs. An unsigned VIB represents untested code installed on an ESXi host. The ESXi Image profile supports four acceptance levels:
(1) VMwareCertified - VIBs created, tested and signed by VMware
(2) VMwareAccepted - VIBs created by a VMware partner but tested and signed by VMware,
(3) PartnerSupported - VIBs created, tested and signed by a certified VMware partner
(4) CommunitySupported - VIBs that have not been tested by VMware or a VMware partner.
Community Supported VIBs are not supported and do not have a digital signature. To protect the security and integrity of your ESXi hosts do not allow unsigned (CommunitySupported) VIBs to be installed on your hosts.
(1) VMwareCertified - VIBs created, tested and signed by VMware
(2) VMwareAccepted - VIBs created by a VMware partner but tested and signed by VMware,
(3) PartnerSupported - VIBs created, tested and signed by a certified VMware partner
(4) CommunitySupported - VIBs that have not been tested by VMware or a VMware partner.
Community Supported VIBs are not supported and do not have a digital signature. To protect the security and integrity of your ESXi hosts do not allow unsigned (CommunitySupported) VIBs to be installed on your hosts.
V-63265
medium
The security issue with vMotion migrations is that information is transmitted in plain text, and anyone with access to the network over which this information flows can view it. Potential attackers can intercept vMotion traffic to obtain memory contents of a virtual machine. They might also potentially stage a MiTM attack in which the contents are modified during migration.
vMotion traffic must be sequestered from production traffic on an isolated network. This network must be non-routable to other systems preventing outside access to the network.
vMotion traffic must be sequestered from production traffic on an isolated network. This network must be non-routable to other systems preventing outside access to the network.
V-63267
medium
The vSphere management network provides access to the vSphere management interface on each component. Services running on the management interface provide an opportunity for an attacker to gain privileged access to the systems. Any remote attack most likely would begin with gaining entry to this network.
V-63269
medium
Virtual machines might share virtual switches and VLANs with the IP-based storage configurations. IP-based storage includes iSCSI and NFS. This configuration might expose IP-based storage traffic to unauthorized virtual machine users. IP-based storage frequently is not encrypted. It can be viewed by anyone with access to this network. To restrict unauthorized users from viewing the IP-based storage traffic, the IP-based storage network must be logically separated from the production traffic. Configuring the IP-based storage adaptors on separate VLANs or network segments from other VMkernels and Virtual Machines will limit unauthorized users from viewing the traffic.
V-63271
low
There are now six types of management VMkernels that can be created for different types of traffic. In order to protect these types of management traffic admins must logically separate these onto different networks and dedicate VMkernel ports to each.
V-63273
low
There are three different TCP/IP stacks by default available on ESXi now which are Default, Provisioning, and vMotion. To better protect and isolate sensitive network traffic within ESXi admins must configure each of these stacks. Additional custom TCP/IP stacks can be created if desired.
V-63275
medium
If SNMP is not being used, it must remain disabled. If it is being used, the proper trap destination must be configured. If SNMP is not properly configured, monitoring information can be sent to a malicious host that can then use this information to plan an attack.
V-63277
low
When enabled, vSphere performs bidirectional authentication of both the iSCSI target and host. There is a potential for a MiTM attack, when not authenticating both the iSCSI target and host, in which an attacker might impersonate either side of the connection to steal data. Bidirectional authentication mitigates this risk.
V-63279
low
Published academic papers have demonstrated that by forcing a flush and reload of cache memory, it is possible to measure memory timings to try and determine an AES encryption key in use on another virtual machine running on the same physical processor of the host server if Transparent Page Sharing is enabled between the two virtual machines. This technique works only in a highly controlled system configured in a non-standard way that VMware believes would not be recreated in a production environment.
Even though VMware believes information being disclosed in real world conditions is unrealistic, out of an abundance of caution upcoming ESXi Update releases will no longer enable TPS between Virtual Machines by default (TPS will still be utilized within individual VMs).
Even though VMware believes information being disclosed in real world conditions is unrealistic, out of an abundance of caution upcoming ESXi Update releases will no longer enable TPS between Virtual Machines by default (TPS will still be utilized within individual VMs).
V-63281
medium
Unrestricted access to services running on an ESXi host can expose a host to outside attacks and unauthorized access. Reduce the risk by configuring the ESXi firewall to only allow access from authorized networks.
V-63283
medium
In addition to service specific firewall rules ESXi has a default firewall rule policy to allow or deny incoming and outgoing traffic. Reduce the risk of attack by making sure this is set to deny incoming and outgoing traffic.
V-63285
low
BPDU Guard and Portfast are commonly enabled on the physical switch to which the ESXi host is directly connected to reduce the STP convergence delay. If a BPDU packet is sent from a virtual machine on the ESXi host to the physical switch so configured, a cascading lockout of all the uplink interfaces from the ESXi host can occur. To prevent this type of lockout, BPDU Filter can be enabled on the ESXi host to drop any BPDU packets being sent to the physical switch. The caveat is that certain SSL VPN which uses Windows bridging capability can legitimately generate BPDU packets. The administrator should verify that there are no legitimate BPDU packets generated by virtual machines on the ESXi host prior to enabling BPDU Filter. If BPDU Filter is enabled in this situation, enabling Reject Forged Transmits on the virtual switch port group adds protection against Spanning Tree loops.
V-63287
medium
If the virtual machine operating system changes the MAC address, the operating system can send frames with an impersonated source MAC address at any time. This allows an operating system to stage malicious attacks on the devices in a network by impersonating a network adaptor authorized by the receiving network.
This means the virtual switch does not compare the source and effective MAC addresses.
To protect against MAC address impersonation, all virtual switches should have forged transmissions set to Reject. Reject Forged Transmit can be set at the vSwitch and/or the Portgroup level. You can override switch level settings at the Portgroup level.
This means the virtual switch does not compare the source and effective MAC addresses.
To protect against MAC address impersonation, all virtual switches should have forged transmissions set to Reject. Reject Forged Transmit can be set at the vSwitch and/or the Portgroup level. You can override switch level settings at the Portgroup level.
V-63289
high
If the virtual machine operating system changes the MAC address, it can send frames with an impersonated source MAC address at any time. This allows it to stage malicious attacks on the devices in a network by impersonating a network adaptor authorized by the receiving network. This will prevent VMs from changing their effective MAC address. It will affect applications that require this functionality. This will also affect how a layer 2 bridge will operate. This will also affect applications that require a specific MAC address for licensing. Reject MAC Changes can be set at the vSwitch and/or the Portgroup level. You can override switch level settings at the Portgroup level.
V-63291
medium
When promiscuous mode is enabled for a virtual switch all virtual machines connected to the Portgroup have the potential of reading all packets across that network, meaning only the virtual machines connected to that Portgroup. Promiscuous mode is disabled by default on the ESXi Server, and this is the recommended setting. Promiscuous mode can be set at the vSwitch and/or the Portgroup level. You can override switch level settings at the Portgroup level.
V-63293
medium
If you are not using products that make use of the dvfilter network API, the host should not be configured to send network information to a VM. If the API is enabled an attacker might attempt to connect a VM to it thereby potentially providing access to the network of other VMs on the host. If you are using a product that makes use of this API then verify that the host has been configured correctly. If you are not using such a product make sure the setting is blank.
V-63295
medium
ESXi does not use the concept of native VLAN. Frames with VLAN specified in the port group will have a tag, but frames with VLAN not specified in the port group are not tagged and therefore will end up as belonging to native VLAN of the physical switch. For example, frames on VLAN 1 from a Cisco physical switch will be untagged, because this is considered as the native VLAN. However, frames from ESXi specified as VLAN 1 will be tagged with a "1"; therefore, traffic from ESXi that is destined for the native VLAN will not be correctly routed (because it is tagged with a "1" instead of being untagged), and traffic from the physical switch coming from the native VLAN will not be visible (because it is not tagged). If the ESXi virtual switch port group uses the native VLAN ID, traffic from those VMs will not be visible to the native VLAN on the switch, because the switch is expecting untagged traffic.
V-63297
medium
When a port group is set to VLAN 4095, this activates VGT mode. In this mode, the vSwitch passes all network frames to the guest VM without modifying the VLAN tags, leaving it up to the guest to deal with them. VLAN 4095 should be used only if the guest has been specifically configured to manage VLAN tags itself. If VGT is enabled inappropriately, it might cause denial-of-service or allow a guest VM to interact with traffic on an unauthorized VLAN.
V-63299
medium
Certain physical switches reserve certain VLAN IDs for internal purposes and often disallow traffic configured to these values. For example, Cisco Catalyst switches typically reserve VLANs 1001–1024 and 4094, while Nexus switches typically reserve 3968–4047 and 4094. Check with the documentation for your specific switch. Using a reserved VLAN might result in a denial of service on the network.
V-63301
medium
In order to communicate with virtual switches in VST mode, external switch ports must be configured as trunk ports. VST mode does not support Dynamic Trunking Protocol (DTP), so the trunk must be static and unconditional. The auto or desirable physical switch settings do not work with the ESXi Server because the physical switch communicates with the ESXi Server using DTP. The non-negotiate and on options unconditionally enable VLAN trunking on the physical switch and create a VLAN trunk link between the ESXi Server and the physical switch. The difference between non-negotiate and on options is that on mode still sends out DTP frames, whereas the non-negotiate option does not. The non-negotiate option should be used for all VLAN trunks, to minimize unnecessary network traffic for virtual switches in VST mode.
V-63303
low
Since VMware virtual switches do not support STP, the ESXi host-connected physical switch ports must have portfast configured if spanning tree is enabled to avoid loops within the physical switch network. If these are not set, potential performance and connectivity issues might arise.
V-63305
medium
When defining a physical switch port for trunk mode, only specified VLANs must be configured on the VLAN trunk link. The risk with not fully documenting all VLANs on the vSwitch is that it is possible that a physical trunk port might be configured without needed VLANs, or with unneeded VLANs, potentially enabling an administrator to either accidentally or maliciously connect a VM to an unauthorized VLAN.
V-63309
medium
The CIM system provides an interface that enables hardware-level management from remote applications via a set of standard APIs. Create a limited-privilege, read-only service account for CIM. Grant this role to the user on the ESXi server. Place this user in the Exception Users list. When/where write access is required, create/enable a limited-privilege, service account and grant only the minimum required privileges.
V-63311
high
Always check the SHA1 hash after downloading an ISO, offline bundle, or patch to ensure integrity and authenticity of the downloaded files.
V-63313
high
Installing software updates is a fundamental mitigation against the exploitation of publicly-known vulnerabilities.
V-63465
medium
Enabling lockdown mode disables direct access to an ESXi host requiring the host be managed remotely from vCenter Server. This is done to ensure the roles and access controls implemented in vCenter are always enforced and users cannot bypass them by logging into a host directly. By forcing all interaction to occur through vCenter Server, the risk of someone inadvertently attaining elevated privileges or performing tasks that are not properly audited is greatly reduced.
V-63477
medium
Remote logging to a central log host provides a secure, centralized store for ESXi logs. By gathering host log files onto a central host it can more easily monitor all hosts with a single tool. It can also do aggregate analysis and searching to look for such things as coordinated attacks on multiple hosts. Logging to a secure, centralized log server also helps prevent log tampering and also provides a long-term audit record.
V-63485
medium
Failure to display the DoD logon banner prior to a log in attempt will negate legal proceedings resulting from unauthorized access to system resources.
V-63501
medium
Approved algorithms should impart some level of confidence in their implementation. These are also required for compliance.
Note: That this does not imply FIPS 140-2 certification.
Note: That this does not imply FIPS 140-2 certification.
V-63509
low
Without establishing what types of events occurred, it would be difficult to establish, correlate, and investigate the events leading up to an outage or attack.
V-63531
medium
To enforce the use of complex passwords, minimum numbers of characters of different classes are mandated. The use of complex passwords reduces the ability of attackers to successfully obtain valid passwords using guessing or exhaustive search techniques. Complexity requirements increase the password search space by requiring users to construct passwords from a larger character set than they may otherwise use.
V-63605
low
Join ESXi hosts to an Active Directory (AD) domain to eliminate the need to create and maintain multiple local user accounts. Using AD for user authentication simplifies the ESXi host configuration, ensures password complexity and reuse policies are enforced and reduces the risk of security breaches and unauthorized access. Note: If the AD group "ESX Admins" (default) exists then all users and groups that are assigned as members to this group will have full administrative access to all ESXi hosts the domain.
V-63757
medium
If you configure your host to join an Active Directory domain using Host Profiles the Active Directory credentials are saved in the host profile and are transmitted over the network. To avoid having to save Active Directory credentials in the Host Profile and to avoid transmitting Active Directory credentials over the network use the vSphere Authentication Proxy.
V-63769
low
When adding ESXi hosts to Active Directory, if the group "ESX Admins" exists, all user/group accounts assigned to the group will have full administrative access to the host. Discretion should be used when managing membership to the "ESX Admins" group.
V-63771
low
To assure accountability and prevent unauthenticated access, privileged users must utilize multifactor authentication to prevent potential misuse and compromise of the system.
V-63773
medium
If a user forgets to log out of their SSH session, the idle connection will remains open indefinitely, increasing the potential for someone to gain privileged access to the host. The ESXiShellInteractiveTimeOut allows you to automatically terminate idle shell sessions.
V-63775
medium
When the ESXi Shell or SSH services are enabled on a host they will run indefinitely. To avoid having these services left running set the ESXiShellTimeOut. The ESXiShellTimeOut defines a window of time after which the ESXi Shell and SSH services will automatically be terminated.
V-63777
medium
When the Direct console user interface (DCUI) is enabled and logged in it should be automatically logged out if left logged in to avoid unauthorized privilege gains. The DcuiTimeOut defines a window of time after which the DCUI will be logged out.
V-63779
medium
To assure the accuracy of the system clock, it must be synchronized with an authoritative time source within DoD. Many system functions, including time-based login and activity restrictions, automated reports, system logs, and audit records depend on an accurate system clock. If there is no confidence in the correctness of the system clock, time-based functions may not operate as intended and records may be of diminished value.
V-63823
high
Verify the ESXi Image Profile to only allow signed VIBs. An unsigned VIB represents untested code installed on an ESXi host. The ESXi Image profile supports four acceptance levels:
(1) VMwareCertified - VIBs created, tested and signed by VMware
(2) VMwareAccepted - VIBs created by a VMware partner but tested and signed by VMware,
(3) PartnerSupported - VIBs created, tested and signed by a certified VMware partner
(4) CommunitySupported - VIBs that have not been tested by VMware or a VMware partner.
Community Supported VIBs are not supported and do not have a digital signature. To protect the security and integrity of your ESXi hosts do not allow unsigned (CommunitySupported) VIBs to be installed on your hosts.
(1) VMwareCertified - VIBs created, tested and signed by VMware
(2) VMwareAccepted - VIBs created by a VMware partner but tested and signed by VMware,
(3) PartnerSupported - VIBs created, tested and signed by a certified VMware partner
(4) CommunitySupported - VIBs that have not been tested by VMware or a VMware partner.
Community Supported VIBs are not supported and do not have a digital signature. To protect the security and integrity of your ESXi hosts do not allow unsigned (CommunitySupported) VIBs to be installed on your hosts.
V-63833
medium
Remote logging to a central log host provides a secure, centralized store for ESXi logs. By gathering host log files onto a central host it can more easily monitor all hosts with a single tool. It can also do aggregate analysis and searching to look for such things as coordinated attacks on multiple hosts. Logging to a secure, centralized log server also helps prevent log tampering and also provides a long-term audit record.
V-63867
medium
To enforce the use of complex passwords, minimum numbers of characters of different classes are mandated. The use of complex passwords reduces the ability of attackers to successfully obtain valid passwords using guessing or exhaustive search techniques. Complexity requirements increase the password search space by requiring users to construct passwords from a larger character set than they may otherwise use.
V-63885
medium
The ESXi Shell is an interactive command line interface (CLI) available at the ESXi server console. The ESXi shell provides temporary access to commands essential for server maintenance. Intended primarily for use in break-fix scenarios, the ESXi shell is well suited for checking and modifying configuration details, not always generally accessible, using the vSphere Client. The ESXi shell is accessible remotely using SSH by users with the Administrator role. Under normal operating conditions, SSH access to the host must be disabled as is the default. As with the ESXi shell, SSH is also intended only for temporary use during break-fix scenarios. SSH must therefore be disabled under normal operating conditions and must only be enabled for diagnostics or troubleshooting. Remote access to the host must therefore be limited to the vSphere Client at all other times.
V-63893
low
Join ESXi hosts to an Active Directory (AD) domain to eliminate the need to create and maintain multiple local user accounts. Using AD for user authentication simplifies the ESXi host configuration, ensures password complexity and reuse policies are enforced and reduces the risk of security breaches and unauthorized access. Note: If the AD group "ESX Admins" (default) exists then all users and groups that are assigned as members to this group will have full administrative access to all ESXi hosts the domain.
V-63895
medium
If you configure your host to join an Active Directory domain using Host Profiles the Active Directory credentials are saved in the host profile and are transmitted over the network. To avoid having to save Active Directory credentials in the Host Profile and to avoid transmitting Active Directory credentials over the network use the vSphere Authentication Proxy.
V-63897
low
When adding ESXi hosts to Active Directory, if the group "ESX Admins" exists, all user/group accounts assigned to the group will have full administrative access to the host. Discretion should be used when managing membership to the "ESX Admins" group.
V-63899
low
To assure accountability and prevent unauthenticated access, privileged users must utilize multifactor authentication to prevent potential misuse and compromise of the system.
V-63901
high
Verify the ESXi Image Profile to only allow signed VIBs. An unsigned VIB represents untested code installed on an ESXi host. The ESXi Image profile supports four acceptance levels:
(1) VMwareCertified - VIBs created, tested and signed by VMware
(2) VMwareAccepted - VIBs created by a VMware partner but tested and signed by VMware,
(3) PartnerSupported - VIBs created, tested and signed by a certified VMware partner
(4) CommunitySupported - VIBs that have not been tested by VMware or a VMware partner.
Community Supported VIBs are not supported and do not have a digital signature. To protect the security and integrity of your ESXi hosts do not allow unsigned (CommunitySupported) VIBs to be installed on your hosts.
(1) VMwareCertified - VIBs created, tested and signed by VMware
(2) VMwareAccepted - VIBs created by a VMware partner but tested and signed by VMware,
(3) PartnerSupported - VIBs created, tested and signed by a certified VMware partner
(4) CommunitySupported - VIBs that have not been tested by VMware or a VMware partner.
Community Supported VIBs are not supported and do not have a digital signature. To protect the security and integrity of your ESXi hosts do not allow unsigned (CommunitySupported) VIBs to be installed on your hosts.
V-63903
medium
Remote logging to a central log host provides a secure, centralized store for ESXi logs. By gathering host log files onto a central host it can more easily monitor all hosts with a single tool. It can also do aggregate analysis and searching to look for such things as coordinated attacks on multiple hosts. Logging to a secure, centralized log server also helps prevent log tampering and also provides a long-term audit record.
V-63905
medium
To enforce the use of complex passwords, minimum numbers of characters of different classes are mandated. The use of complex passwords reduces the ability of attackers to successfully obtain valid passwords using guessing or exhaustive search techniques. Complexity requirements increase the password search space by requiring users to construct passwords from a larger character set than they may otherwise use.
V-63907
low
Join ESXi hosts to an Active Directory (AD) domain to eliminate the need to create and maintain multiple local user accounts. Using AD for user authentication simplifies the ESXi host configuration, ensures password complexity and reuse policies are enforced and reduces the risk of security breaches and unauthorized access. Note: If the AD group "ESX Admins" (default) exists then all users and groups that are assigned as members to this group will have full administrative access to all ESXi hosts the domain.
V-63909
medium
If you configure your host to join an Active Directory domain using Host Profiles the Active Directory credentials are saved in the host profile and are transmitted over the network. To avoid having to save Active Directory credentials in the Host Profile and to avoid transmitting Active Directory credentials over the network use the vSphere Authentication Proxy.
V-63911
low
When adding ESXi hosts to Active Directory, if the group "ESX Admins" exists, all user/group accounts assigned to the group will have full administrative access to the host. Discretion should be used when managing membership to the "ESX Admins" group.
V-63913
low
To assure accountability and prevent unauthenticated access, privileged users must utilize multifactor authentication to prevent potential misuse and compromise of the system.
V-63915
medium
Remote logging to a central log host provides a secure, centralized store for ESXi logs. By gathering host log files onto a central host it can more easily monitor all hosts with a single tool. It can also do aggregate analysis and searching to look for such things as coordinated attacks on multiple hosts. Logging to a secure, centralized log server also helps prevent log tampering and also provides a long-term audit record.
V-63919
medium
To enforce the use of complex passwords, minimum numbers of characters of different classes are mandated. The use of complex passwords reduces the ability of attackers to successfully obtain valid passwords using guessing or exhaustive search techniques. Complexity requirements increase the password search space by requiring users to construct passwords from a larger character set than they may otherwise use.
V-63921
medium
Remote logging to a central log host provides a secure, centralized store for ESXi logs. By gathering host log files onto a central host it can more easily monitor all hosts with a single tool. It can also do aggregate analysis and searching to look for such things as coordinated attacks on multiple hosts. Logging to a secure, centralized log server also helps prevent log tampering and also provides a long-term audit record.
V-63923
medium
To enforce the use of complex passwords, minimum numbers of characters of different classes are mandated. The use of complex passwords reduces the ability of attackers to successfully obtain valid passwords using guessing or exhaustive search techniques. Complexity requirements increase the password search space by requiring users to construct passwords from a larger character set than they may otherwise use.
V-73129
medium
Virtual machines might share virtual switches and VLANs with the IP-based storage configurations. IP-based storage includes VSAN, iSCSI, and NFS. This configuration might expose IP-based storage traffic to unauthorized virtual machine users. IP-based storage frequently is not encrypted. It can be viewed by anyone with access to this network. To restrict unauthorized users from viewing the IP-based storage traffic, the IP-based storage network must be logically separated from the production traffic. Configuring the IP-based storage adaptors on separate VLANs or network segments from other VMkernels and Virtual Machines will limit unauthorized users from viewing the traffic.
V-73131
low
VSAN Health Check is enabled by default in vSphere 6.0 update 1 and later, it has to be manually installed and enabled on vSphere 6.0.0 prior to usage. The VSAN Health check is used for additional alerting capabilities, performance stress testing prior to production usage, and verifying that the underlying hardware officially is supported by being in compliance with the VSAN Hardware Compatibility Guide
V-73133
low
The VSAN Health Check is able to download the hardware compatibility list from VMware in order to check compliance against the underlying VSAN Cluster hosts. To ensure the vCenter server is not directly downloading content from the internet this functionality must be disabled or if this feature is necessary an external proxy server must be configured.
V-73135
low
VSAN Datastore name by default is "vsanDatastore". If more than one VSAN cluster is present in vCenter both datastores will have the same name by default potentially leading to confusion and manually misplaced workloads.