The ESXi host must configure the firewall to block network traffic by default.
Overview
| Finding ID | Version | Rule ID | IA Controls | Severity |
| V-258769 | ESXI-80-000214 | SV-258769r1003571_rule | CCI-000366 | medium |
| Description | ||||
| In addition to service-specific firewall rules, ESXi has a default firewall rule policy to allow or deny incoming and outgoing traffic. Reduce the risk of attack by ensuring this is set to deny incoming and outgoing traffic. | ||||
| STIG | Date | |||
| VMware vSphere 8.0 ESXi Security Technical Implementation Guide | 2025-02-11 | |||
Details
Check Text (C-258769r1003571_chk)
From an ESXi shell, run the following command:
# esxcli network firewall get
or
From a PowerCLI command prompt while connected to the ESXi host, run the following commands:
$esxcli = Get-EsxCli -v2
$esxcli.network.firewall.get.invoke()
If the "Default Action" does not equal "DROP", this is a finding.
If "Enabled" does not equal "true", this is a finding.
Fix Text (F-62418r1003534_fix)
From an ESXi shell, run the following command:
# esxcli network firewall set --default-action false --enabled true
or
From a PowerCLI command prompt while connected to the ESXi host, run the following commands:
$esxcli = Get-EsxCli -v2
$arguments = $esxcli.network.firewall.set.CreateArgs()
$arguments.enabled = $true
$arguments.defaultaction = $false
$esxcli.network.firewall.set.Invoke($arguments)