Unauthorized floppy devices must be disconnected on the virtual machine (VM).

Overview

Finding ID	Version	Rule ID	IA Controls	Severity
V-256457	VMCH-70-000008	SV-256457r959010_rule	CCI-000366	medium
Description
Ensure no device is connected to a virtual machine if it is not required. For example, floppy, serial, and parallel ports are rarely used for virtual machines in a data center environment, and CD/DVD drives are usually connected only temporarily during software installation.
STIG			Date
VMware vSphere 7.0 Virtual Machine Security Technical Implementation Guide			2024-12-16

Details

Check Text (C-256457r959010_chk)

Floppy drives are no longer visible through the vSphere Client and must be done via the Application Programming Interface (API) or PowerCLI. From a PowerCLI command prompt while connected to the ESXi host or vCenter server, run the following command: Get-VM | Get-FloppyDrive | Select Parent, Name, ConnectionState If a virtual machine has a floppy drive connected, this is a finding.

Fix Text (F-60075r886413_fix)

Floppy drives are no longer visible through the vSphere Client and must be done via the API or PowerCLI. From a PowerCLI command prompt while connected to the ESXi host or vCenter server, run the following command: Get-VM "VM Name" | Get-FloppyDrive | Remove-FloppyDrive Note: The VM must be powered off to remove the floppy drive.