The ESXi host Secure Shell (SSH) daemon must not allow host-based authentication.
Overview
| Finding ID | Version | Rule ID | IA Controls | Severity |
| V-258761 | ESXI-80-000202 | SV-258761r933344_rule | CCI-000366 | medium |
| Description | ||||
| SSH trust relationships mean a compromise on one host can allow an attacker to move trivially to other hosts. SSH's cryptographic host-based authentication is more secure than ".rhosts" authentication since hosts are cryptographically authenticated. However, it is not recommended that hosts unilaterally trust one another, even within an organization. | ||||
| STIG | Date | |||
| VMware vSphere 8.0 ESXi Security Technical Implementation Guide | 2023-10-11 | |||
Details
Check Text (C-258761r933344_chk)
From an ESXi shell, run the following command:
# esxcli system ssh server config list -k hostbasedauthentication
or
From a PowerCLI command prompt while connected to the ESXi host, run the following commands:
$esxcli = Get-EsxCli -v2
$esxcli.system.ssh.server.config.list.invoke() | Where-Object {$_.Key -eq 'hostbasedauthentication'}
Example result:
hostbasedauthentication no
If "hostbasedauthentication" is not configured to "no", this is a finding.
Fix Text (F-62410r933343_fix)
From an ESXi shell, run the following command:
# esxcli system ssh server config set -k hostbasedauthentication -v no
or
From a PowerCLI command prompt while connected to the ESXi host, run the following commands:
$esxcli = Get-EsxCli -v2
$arguments = $esxcli.system.ssh.server.config.set.CreateArgs()
$arguments.keyword = 'hostbasedauthentication'
$arguments.value = 'no'
$esxcli.system.ssh.server.config.set.Invoke($arguments)