VMware vSphere 8.0 ESXi Security Technical Implementation Guide
Rules, Groups, and Values defined within the XCCDF Benchmark
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The ESXi host must use sufficient entropy for cryptographic operations.
Starting in vSphere 8.0, the ESXi Entropy implementation supports the FIPS 140-3 and EAL4 certifications. Kernel boot options control which entropy sources to activate on an ESXi host. In computin...Rule Medium Severity -
SRG-OS-000480-VMM-002000
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SRG-OS-000033-VMM-000140
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The ESXi host must use DOD-approved encryption to protect the confidentiality of network sessions.
Without confidentiality protection mechanisms, unauthorized individuals may gain access to sensitive information via a remote access session. In ESXi 8.0 Update 3 and newer TLS profiles are availab...Rule Medium Severity -
SRG-OS-000480-VMM-002000
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SRG-OS-000480-VMM-002000
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The ESXi host must deny shell access for the dcui account.
The dcui user is used for process isolation for the DCUI itself. The account has shell access which can be deactivated to reduce attack surface.Rule Medium Severity -
SRG-OS-000480-VMM-002000
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The ESXi host must disable virtual hardware management network interfaces.
Hardware management controllers often present virtual or USB NICs to the ESXi host. These can be used as backdoors and should be deactivated both in the hardware configuration and in ESXi.Rule Medium Severity -
The ESXi host must display the Standard Mandatory DOD Notice and Consent Banner before granting access to the system via the Direct Console User Interface (DCUI).
Display of a standardized and approved use notification before granting access to the host ensures privacy and security notification verbiage used is consistent with applicable federal laws, Execut...Rule Medium Severity -
The ESXi host must enforce password complexity by configuring a password quality policy.
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...Rule Medium Severity -
The ESXi host must uniquely identify and must authenticate organizational users by using Active Directory.
Join ESXi hosts to an Active Directory domain to eliminate the need to create and maintain multiple local user accounts. Using Active Directory for user authentication simplifies the ESXi host conf...Rule Low Severity -
The ESXi host must implement Secure Boot enforcement.
Secure Boot is part of the UEFI firmware standard. With UEFI Secure Boot enabled, a host refuses to load any UEFI driver or app unless the operating system bootloader has a valid digital signature....Rule Medium Severity -
The ESXi host must synchronize internal information system clocks to an authoritative time source.
To ensure the accuracy of the system clock, it must be synchronized with an authoritative time source within DOD. Many system functions, including time-based logon and activity restrictions, automa...Rule Medium Severity -
The ESXi host must protect the confidentiality and integrity of transmitted information by isolating vMotion traffic.
While encrypted vMotion is available, vMotion traffic should still be sequestered from other traffic to further protect it from attack. This network must only be accessible to other ESXi hosts, pre...Rule Medium Severity -
The ESXi host DCUI.Access list must be verified.
Lockdown mode disables direct host access, requiring that administrators manage hosts from vCenter Server. However, if a host becomes isolated from vCenter, the administrator is locked out and can ...Rule Medium Severity -
The ESXi host must be configured to disable nonessential capabilities by disabling the ESXi shell.
The ESXi Shell is an interactive command line environment available locally from the Direct Console User Interface (DCUI) or remotely via SSH. Activities performed from the ESXi Shell bypass vCente...Rule Medium Severity -
The ESXi host must protect the confidentiality and integrity of transmitted information by isolating ESXi management traffic.
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 pri...Rule Medium Severity -
The ESXi host lockdown mode exception users list must be verified.
While a host is in lockdown mode (strict or normal), only users on the "Exception Users" list are allowed access. These users do not lose their permissions when the host enters lockdown mode. The...Rule Medium Severity -
The ESXi host Secure Shell (SSH) daemon must not allow host-based authentication.
SSH trust relationships mean a compromise on one host can allow an attacker to move trivially to other hosts. SSH's cryptographic host-based authentication is more secure than ".rhosts" authenticat...Rule Medium Severity
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