The ESXi host must set a timeout to automatically end idle shell sessions after fifteen minutes.
An XCCDF Rule
Description
If a user forgets to log out of their local or remote ESXi Shell session, the idle connection will remain open indefinitely and increase the likelihood of inappropriate host access via session hijacking. The "ESXiShellInteractiveTimeOut" allows the automatic termination of idle shell sessions. Satisfies: SRG-OS-000163-VMM-000700, SRG-OS-000279-VMM-001010
- ID
- SV-258739r933278_rule
- Version
- ESXI-80-000068
- Severity
- Medium
- References
- Updated
Remediation Templates
A Manual Procedure
From the vSphere Client, go to Hosts and Clusters.
Select the ESXi Host >> Configure >> System >> Advanced System Settings.
Click "Edit". Select the "UserVars.ESXiShellInteractiveTimeOut" value and configure it to "900".