The ESXi host Secure Shell (SSH) daemon must be configured to not allow gateway ports.
Overview
| Finding ID | Version | Rule ID | IA Controls | Severity |
| V-256391 | ESXI-70-000022 | SV-256391r959010_rule | CCI-000366 | low |
| Description | ||||
| SSH Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) connection forwarding provides a mechanism to establish TCP connections proxied by the SSH server. This function can provide convenience similar to a virtual private network (VPN) with the similar risk of providing a path to circumvent firewalls and network Access Control Lists (ACLs). Gateway ports allow remote forwarded ports to bind to nonloopback addresses on the server. | ||||
| STIG | Date | |||
| VMware vSphere 7.0 ESXi Security Technical Implementation Guide | 2025-02-11 | |||
Details
Check Text (C-256391r959010_chk)
From an ESXi shell, run the following command:
# /usr/lib/vmware/openssh/bin/sshd -T|grep gatewayports
Expected result:
gatewayports no
If the output does not match the expected result, this is a finding.
Fix Text (F-60009r885953_fix)
From an ESXi shell, add or correct the following line in "/etc/ssh/sshd_config":
GatewayPorts no