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The vCenter server configuration must be backed up on a regular basis.

Overview

Finding IDVersionRule IDIA ControlsSeverity
V-258958VCSA-80-000292SV-258958r961863_ruleCCI-000366medium
Description
vCenter server is the control plane for the vSphere infrastructure and all the workloads it hosts. As such, vCenter is usually a highly critical system in its own right. Backups of vCenter can now be made at a data and configuration level versus traditional storage/image-based backups. This reduces recovery time by letting the system administrator (SA) spin up a new vCenter while simultaneously importing the backed-up data. For sites that implement the Native Key Provider (NKP), introduced in 7.0 Update 2, regular vCenter backups are critical. In a recovery scenario where the virtual machine files are intact but vCenter was lost, the encrypted virtual machines will not be able to boot as their private keys were stored in vCenter after it was last backed up. When using the NKP, vCenter becomes critical to the virtual machine workloads and ceases to be just the control plane.
STIGDate
VMware vSphere 8.0 vCenter Security Technical Implementation Guide2026-05-23

Related Frameworks

1 mapping across 5 frameworks
SCF0 mappings

No source states a mapping between these directly.

Also reachable in 3 hops (8) 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.

CFG-01Configuration Management Program
1.00
END-01Endpoint Device Management (EDM)
1.00
END-04Malicious Code Protection (Anti-Malware)
1.00
END-06Endpoint File Integrity Monitoring (FIM)
1.00
MON-01Continuous Monitoring
1.00
MON-01.7File Integrity Monitoring (FIM)
1.00
CFG-02Secure Baseline Configurations
0.50
CFG-02.7Approved Configuration Deviations
0.50
NIST 800-530 mappings

No source states a mapping between these directly.

Also reachable in 2 hops (100) 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-12Session Termination
1.00
AC-16(1)Dynamic Attribute Association
1.00
AC-17(1)Monitoring and Control
1.00
AC-2Account Management
1.00
AC-2(1)Automated System Account Management
1.00
AC-2(11)Usage Conditions
1.00
AC-2(3)Disable Accounts
1.00
AC-2(4)Automated Audit Actions
1.00
AC-24(1)Transmit Access Authorization Information
1.00
AC-25Reference Monitor
1.00

+90 more (top 10 by confidence shown)

NIST 800-1710 mappings

No source states a mapping between these directly.

Also reachable in 3 hops (2) 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.

3.4.1
1.00
3.4.2
1.00
CCI1 mapping
CCI-000366
1.00
NIST CSF 2.00 mappings

No source states a mapping between these directly.

Also reachable in 3 hops (5) 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.

DE.CM-09
1.00
PR.PS-01
1.00
PR.DS-10
0.50
PR.PSPlatform Security
0.50
PR.PS-05
0.50

Who does this work

10 NICE work roles and 9 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-258958r961863_chk)

Option 1: If vCenter is backed up in a traditional manner, at the storage array level, interview the SA to determine configuration and schedule. Option 2: For vCenter native backup functionality, open the Virtual Appliance Management Interface (VAMI) by navigating to https://<vCenter server>:5480. Log in with local operating system administrative credentials or with a Single Sign-On (SSO) account that is a member of the "SystemConfiguration.BashShellAdministrator" group. Select "Backup" on the left navigation pane. On the resulting pane on the right, verify the "Status" is "Enabled". Click "Status" to expand the backup details. If vCenter server backups are not configured and there is no other vCenter backup system, this is a finding. If the backup configuration is not set to a proper, reachable location or if the schedule is anything less frequent than "Daily", this is a finding.

Fix Text (F-62607r934531_fix)

Option 1: Implement and document a VMware-supported storage/image-based backup schedule. Option 2: To configure vCenter native backup functionality, open the VAMI by navigating to https://<vCenter server>:5480. Log in with local operating system administrative credentials or with an SSO account that is a member of the "SystemConfiguration.BashShellAdministrator" group. Select "Backup" on the left navigation pane. On the resulting pane on the right, click "Configure" (or "Edit" for an existing configuration). Enter site-specific information for the backup job. Ensure "Schedule" is set to "Daily". Limiting the number of retained backups is recommended but not required. Click "Create".