vSphere UI must set the secure flag for cookies.
Overview
| Finding ID | Version | Rule ID | IA Controls | Severity |
| V-256809 | VCUI-70-000032 | SV-256809r889426_rule | CCI-002418 | medium |
| Description | ||||
| The secure flag is an option that can be set by the application server when sending a new cookie to the user within an HTTP response. The purpose of the secure flag is to prevent cookies from being observed by unauthorized parties due to the transmission of a cookie in clear text. By setting the secure flag, the browser will prevent the transmission of a cookie over an unencrypted channel. vSphere UI is configured to only be accessible over a Transport Layer Security (TLS) tunnel, but this cookie flag is still a recommended best practice. | ||||
| STIG | Date | |||
| VMware vSphere 7.0 vCenter Appliance UI Security Technical Implementation Guide | 2023-06-15 | |||
Details
Check Text (C-256809r889426_chk)
At the command prompt, run the following command:
# xmllint --format /usr/lib/vmware-vsphere-ui/server/conf/web.xml | sed 's/xmlns=".*"//g' | xmllint --xpath '/web-app/session-config/cookie-config/secure' -
Expected result:
<secure>true</secure>
If the output of the command does not match the expected result, this is a finding.
Fix Text (F-60427r889425_fix)
Navigate to and open:
/usr/lib/vmware-vsphere-ui/server/conf/web.xml
Navigate to the /<web-apps>/<session-config>/<cookie-config> node and configure it as follows.
<cookie-config>
<http-only>true</http-only>
<secure>true</secure>
</cookie-config>
Restart the service with the following command:
# vmon-cli --restart vsphere-ui