The ESXi host Secure Shell (SSH) daemon must not allow authentication using an empty password.
Overview
| Finding ID | Version | Rule ID | IA Controls | Severity |
| V-256387 | ESXI-70-000015 | SV-256387r959010_rule | CCI-000366 | low |
| Description | ||||
| Configuring this setting for the SSH daemon provides additional assurance that remote logon via SSH will require a password, even in the event of misconfiguration elsewhere. | ||||
| STIG | Date | |||
| VMware vSphere 7.0 ESXi Security Technical Implementation Guide | 2025-02-11 | |||
Details
Check Text (C-256387r959010_chk)
From an ESXi shell, run the following command:
# /usr/lib/vmware/openssh/bin/sshd -T|grep permitemptypasswords
Expected result:
permitemptypasswords no
If the output does not match the expected result, this is a finding.
Fix Text (F-60005r885941_fix)
From an ESXi shell, add or correct the following line in "/etc/ssh/sshd_config":
PermitEmptyPasswords no