The ESXi host Secure Shell (SSH) daemon must use FIPS 140-2 validated cryptographic modules to protect the confidentiality of remote access sessions.
Severity | Group ID | Group Title | Version | Rule ID | Date | STIG Version |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| high | V-258732 | SRG-OS-000033-VMM-000140 | ESXI-80-000014 | SV-258732r933257_rule | 2023-10-11 | 1 |
| Description |
|---|
| Without confidentiality protection mechanisms, unauthorized individuals may gain access to sensitive information via a remote access session. OpenSSH on the ESXi host ships with a FIPS 140-2 validated cryptographic module and it is enabled by default. For backward compatibility reasons, this can be disabled so this setting must be audited and corrected if necessary. |
| ℹ️ Check |
|---|
| From an ESXi shell, run the following command: # esxcli system security fips140 ssh get or From a PowerCLI command prompt while connected to the ESXi host, run the following commands: $esxcli = Get-EsxCli -v2 $esxcli.system.security.fips140.ssh.get.invoke() Expected result: Enabled: true If the FIPS mode is not enabled for SSH, this is a finding. |
| ✔️ Fix |
|---|
| From an ESXi shell, run the following command: # esxcli system security fips140 ssh set -e true or From a PowerCLI command prompt while connected to the ESXi host, run the following commands: $esxcli = Get-EsxCli -v2 $arguments = $esxcli.system.security.fips140.ssh.set.CreateArgs() $arguments.enable = $true $esxcli.system.security.fips140.ssh.set.Invoke($arguments) |