The vCenter Server for Windows must enable SSL for Network File Copy (NFC).

Overview

Finding ID	Version	Rule ID	IA Controls	Severity
V-216843	VCWN-65-000021	SV-216843r612237_rule		Medium

Description
NFC is the mechanism used to migrate or clone a VM between two ESXi hosts over the network. By default, NFC over SSL is enabled (i.e., "True") within a vSphere cluster but the value of the setting is null. Clients check the value of the setting and default to not using SSL for performance reasons if the value is null. This behavior can be changed by ensuring the setting has been explicitly created and set to "True". This will force clients to use SSL. Without this setting VM contents could potentially be sniffed if the management network is not adequately isolated and secured.

Description

NFC is the mechanism used to migrate or clone a VM between two ESXi hosts over the network. By default, NFC over SSL is enabled (i.e., "True") within a vSphere cluster but the value of the setting is null. Clients check the value of the setting and default to not using SSL for performance reasons if the value is null. This behavior can be changed by ensuring the setting has been explicitly created and set to "True". This will force clients to use SSL. Without this setting VM contents could potentially be sniffed if the management network is not adequately isolated and secured.

STIG	Date
VMW vSphere 6.5 vCenter Server for Windows Security Technical Implementation Guide	2021-06-23

Details

Check Text ( C-18074r366243_chk )
From the vSphere Web Client go to vCenter Inventory Lists >> vCenter Servers >> Select your vCenter Server >> Manage >> Settings >> Advanced Settings. Verify that config.nfc.useSSL is set to "true". or From a PowerCLI command prompt while connected to the vCenter server run the following command: Get-AdvancedSetting -Entity -Name config.nfc.useSSL Verify "config.nfc.useSSL" is set to "true". If the "config.nfc.useSSL" is set to a value other than "true" or does not exist, this is a finding.

Check Text ( C-18074r366243_chk )

From the vSphere Web Client go to vCenter Inventory Lists >> vCenter Servers >> Select your vCenter Server >> Manage >> Settings >> Advanced Settings.

Verify that config.nfc.useSSL is set to "true".

or

From a PowerCLI command prompt while connected to the vCenter server run the following command:
Get-AdvancedSetting -Entity -Name config.nfc.useSSL

Verify "config.nfc.useSSL" is set to "true".

If the "config.nfc.useSSL" is set to a value other than "true" or does not exist, this is a finding.

Fix Text (F-18072r366244_fix)
From the vSphere Web Client go to vCenter Inventory Lists >> vCenter Servers >> Select your vCenter Server >> Manage >> Settings >> Advanced Settings. Click "Edit" and edit the "config.nfc.useSSL" value to "true" or if the value does not exist create it by entering the values in the "Key" and "Value" fields and clicking "Add". or From a PowerCLI command prompt while connected to the vCenter server run the following command: If the setting already exists: Get-AdvancedSetting -Entity -Name config.nfc.useSSL \| Set-AdvancedSetting -Value true If the setting does not exist: New-AdvancedSetting -Entity -Name config.nfc.useSSL -Value true

Fix Text (F-18072r366244_fix)

From the vSphere Web Client go to vCenter Inventory Lists >> vCenter Servers >> Select your vCenter Server >> Manage >> Settings >> Advanced Settings. Click "Edit" and edit the "config.nfc.useSSL" value to "true" or if the value does not exist create it by entering the values in the "Key" and "Value" fields and clicking "Add".

or

From a PowerCLI command prompt while connected to the vCenter server run the following command:

If the setting already exists:
Get-AdvancedSetting -Entity -Name config.nfc.useSSL | Set-AdvancedSetting -Value true

If the setting does not exist:
New-AdvancedSetting -Entity -Name config.nfc.useSSL -Value true