Console access through the VNC protocol must be disabled on the virtual machine.

Overview

Finding ID	Version	Rule ID	IA Controls	Severity
V-239345	VMCH-67-000014	SV-239345r679584_rule		Medium

Description
The VM console enables connection to the console of a virtual machine, in effect seeing what a monitor on a physical server would show. This console is also available via the VNC protocol and should be disabled.

STIG	Date
VMware vSphere 6.7 Virtual Machine Security Technical Implementation Guide	2021-04-16

Details

Check Text ( C-42578r679582_chk )
From the vSphere Web Client right-click the Virtual Machine and go to Edit Settings >> VM Options >> Advanced >> Configuration Parameters >> Edit Configuration. Verify the RemoteDisplay.vnc.enabled value is set to false. or From a PowerCLI command prompt while connected to the ESXi host or vCenter server, run the following command: Get-VM "VM Name" \| Get-AdvancedSetting -Name RemoteDisplay.vnc.enabled If the virtual machine advanced setting RemoteDisplay.vnc.enabled does not exist or is not set to false, this is a finding.

Check Text ( C-42578r679582_chk )

From the vSphere Web Client right-click the Virtual Machine and go to Edit Settings >> VM Options >> Advanced >> Configuration Parameters >> Edit Configuration. Verify the RemoteDisplay.vnc.enabled value is set to false.

or

From a PowerCLI command prompt while connected to the ESXi host or vCenter server, run the following command:

Get-VM "VM Name" | Get-AdvancedSetting -Name RemoteDisplay.vnc.enabled

If the virtual machine advanced setting RemoteDisplay.vnc.enabled does not exist or is not set to false, this is a finding.

Fix Text (F-42537r679583_fix)
From the vSphere Web Client right-click the Virtual Machine and go to Edit Settings >> VM Options >> Advanced >> Configuration Parameters >> Edit Configuration. Find the RemoteDisplay.vnc.enabled value and set it to false. If the setting does not exist, add the Name and Value setting at the bottom of screen. Note: The VM must be powered off to configure the advanced settings through the vSphere Web Client so it is recommended to configure these settings with PowerCLI as it can be done while the VM is powered on. Settings do not take effect via either method until the virtual machine is cold started, not rebooted. or From a PowerCLI command prompt while connected to the ESXi host or vCenter server, run the following command: If the setting does not exist, run: Get-VM "VM Name" \| New-AdvancedSetting -Name RemoteDisplay.vnc.enabled -Value false If the setting exists, run: Get-VM "VM Name" \| Get-AdvancedSetting -Name RemoteDisplay.vnc.enabled \| Set-AdvancedSetting -Value false

Fix Text (F-42537r679583_fix)

From the vSphere Web Client right-click the Virtual Machine and go to Edit Settings >> VM Options >> Advanced >> Configuration Parameters >> Edit Configuration. Find the RemoteDisplay.vnc.enabled value and set it to false. If the setting does not exist, add the Name and Value setting at the bottom of screen.

Note: The VM must be powered off to configure the advanced settings through the vSphere Web Client so it is recommended to configure these settings with PowerCLI as it can be done while the VM is powered on. Settings do not take effect via either method until the virtual machine is cold started, not rebooted.

or

From a PowerCLI command prompt while connected to the ESXi host or vCenter server, run the following command:

If the setting does not exist, run:

Get-VM "VM Name" | New-AdvancedSetting -Name RemoteDisplay.vnc.enabled -Value false

If the setting exists, run:

Get-VM "VM Name" | Get-AdvancedSetting -Name RemoteDisplay.vnc.enabled | Set-AdvancedSetting -Value false