UCF STIG Viewer Logo

Unauthorized USB devices must be disconnected on the virtual machine.


Overview

Finding ID Version Rule ID IA Controls Severity
V-239343 VMCH-67-000012 SV-239343r679578_rule Medium
Description
Ensure that 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 datacenter environment, and CD/DVD drives are usually connected only temporarily during software installation.
STIG Date
VMware vSphere 6.7 Virtual Machine Security Technical Implementation Guide 2022-01-04

Details

Check Text ( C-42576r679576_chk )
From the vSphere Web Client right-click the Virtual Machine and go to Edit Settings. Review the VMs hardware and verify no USB devices exist.

or

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

Get-VM | Where {$_.ExtensionData.Config.Hardware.Device.DeviceInfo.Label -match "usb"}
Get-VM | Get-UsbDevice

If a virtual machine has any USB devices or USB controllers present, this is a finding.

If USB smart card readers are used to pass smart cards through the VM console to a VM then the use of a USB controller and USB devices for that purpose is not a finding.
Fix Text (F-42535r679577_fix)
From the vSphere Web Client right-click the Virtual Machine and go to Edit Settings. Select the USB controller and click the circle-x to remove then OK.

or

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

Get-VM "VM Name" | Get-USBDevice | Remove-USBDevice

Note: This will not remove the USB controller just any connected devices.