Virtual machines (VMs) must remove unneeded serial devices.

Overview

Finding IDVersionRule IDIA ControlsSeverity
V-258725VMCH-80-000212SV-258725r933236_ruleCCI-000366medium
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.
STIGDate
VMware vSphere 8.0 Virtual Machine Security Technical Implementation Guide2023-10-11

Details

Check Text (C-258725r933236_chk)

For each virtual machine do the following: From the vSphere Client, right-click the Virtual Machine and go to "Edit Settings". Review the VMs hardware and verify no serial devices exist. or From a PowerCLI command prompt while connected to the ESXi host or vCenter server, run the following command: Get-VM | Where {$_.ExtensionData.Config.Hardware.Device.DeviceInfo.Label -match "serial"} If a virtual machine has a serial device present, this is a finding.

Fix Text (F-62374r933235_fix)

The VM must be powered off to remove a serial device. For each virtual machine do the following: From the vSphere Client, right-click the Virtual Machine and go to "Edit Settings". Select the serial device, click the circled "X" to remove it, and click "OK".