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The ESXi host must enable lockdown mode.

Overview

Finding IDVersionRule IDIA ControlsSeverity
V-258730ESXI-80-000008SV-258730r958398_ruleCCI-000054medium
Description
Enabling Lockdown Mode disables direct access to an ESXi host, requiring the host to be managed remotely from vCenter Server. This is done to ensure the roles and access controls implemented in vCenter are always enforced and users cannot bypass them by logging on to a host directly. By forcing all interaction to occur through vCenter Server, the risk of someone inadvertently attaining elevated privileges or performing tasks that are not properly audited is greatly reduced.
STIGDate
VMware vSphere 8.0 ESXi Security Technical Implementation Guide2026-06-04

Related Frameworks

1 mapping across 4 frameworks
SCF0 mappings

No source states a mapping between these directly.

Also reachable in 3 hops (11) derived by us, not asserted by any source

Each of these is a route we composed by chaining published mappings. No publisher states a relationship between the two endpoints.

HRS-02Position Categorization
1.00
HRS-11Separation of Duties (SoD)
1.00
IAC-01Identity & Access Management (IAM)
1.00
IAC-01.2Authenticate, Authorize and Audit (AAA)
1.00
IAC-02Identification & Authentication for Organizational Users
1.00
IAC-03Identification & Authentication for Non-Organizational Users
1.00
IAC-04Identification & Authentication for Devices
1.00
IAC-05Identification & Authentication for Third-Party Technology Assets, Applications and/or Services (TAAS)
1.00
IAC-08Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)
1.00
IAC-21Least Privilege
1.00

+1 more (top 10 by confidence shown)

NIST 800-530 mappings

No source states a mapping between these directly.

Also reachable in 2 hops (28) derived by us, not asserted by any source

Each of these is a route we composed by chaining published mappings. No publisher states a relationship between the two endpoints.

AC-10Concurrent Session Control
1.00
AC-12Session Termination
1.00
AC-17(10)Authenticate Remote Commands
1.00
AC-2(1)Automated System Account Management
1.00
AC-2(2)Automated Temporary and Emergency Account Management
1.00
AC-2(3)Disable Accounts
1.00
AC-3Access Enforcement
1.00
AC-3(4)Discretionary Access Control
1.00
AC-7Unsuccessful Logon Attempts
1.00
AU-9Protection of Audit Information
1.00

+18 more (top 10 by confidence shown)

CCI1 mapping
CCI-000054
1.00
NIST CSF 2.00 mappings

No source states a mapping between these directly.

Also reachable in 3 hops (1) derived by us, not asserted by any source

Each of these is a route we composed by chaining published mappings. No publisher states a relationship between the two endpoints.

PR.AA-05
1.00

Who does this work

8 NICE work roles and 6 EC-Council certifications.

This is an inference across published mappings, not a single claim by anyone. This check maps to a control, which maps to a Cybersecurity Framework outcome, which NIST assigns to the work roles below. EC-Council separately maps its certifications to those same roles.

A certification prepares someone for a role. It is not evidence that a holder is qualified, and neither NIST nor EC-Council has stated that any certification here addresses this check.

Work-role assignments published by NIST (NICE Framework Components 2.2.0 and the CSF 2.0 OLIR crosswalk). Certification mappings published by EC-Council.

Details

Check Text (C-258730r958398_chk)

For environments that do not use vCenter server to manage ESXi, this is not applicable. From the vSphere Client, go to Hosts and Clusters. Select the ESXi Host >> Configure >> System >> Security Profile. Scroll down to "Lockdown Mode" and verify it is set to "Enabled" (Normal or Strict). or From a PowerCLI command prompt while connected to the ESXi host, run the following command: Get-VMHost | Select Name,@{N="Lockdown";E={$_.Extensiondata.Config.LockdownMode}} If "Lockdown Mode" is disabled, this is a finding.

Fix Text (F-62379r933250_fix)

From the vSphere Client, go to Hosts and Clusters. Select the ESXi Host >> Configure >> System >> Security Profile >> Lockdown Mode. Click edit and select either the "Normal" or "Strict" radio buttons. or From a PowerCLI command prompt while connected to the ESXi host, run the following commands: $level = "lockdownNormal" OR "lockdownStrict" $vmhost = Get-VMHost -Name <hostname> | Get-View $lockdown = Get-View $vmhost.ConfigManager.HostAccessManager $lockdown.ChangeLockdownMode($level) Note: In strict lockdown mode, the Direct Console User Interface (DCUI) service is stopped. If the connection to vCenter Server is lost and the vSphere Client is no longer available, the ESXi host becomes inaccessible.