The virtual machine (VM) must not be able to obtain host information from the hypervisor.

Overview

Finding ID	Version	Rule ID	IA Controls	Severity
V-256465	VMCH-70-000017	SV-256465r886438_rule		Medium

Description
If enabled, a VM can obtain detailed information about the physical host. The default value for the parameter is FALSE. This setting should not be TRUE unless a particular VM requires this information for performance monitoring. An adversary could use this information to inform further attacks on the host.

STIG	Date
VMware vSphere 7.0 Virtual Machine Security Technical Implementation Guide	2023-12-01

Details

Check Text ( C-60140r886436_chk )
From the vSphere Client, right-click the Virtual Machine and go to Edit Settings >> VM Options >> Advanced >> Configuration Parameters >> Edit Configuration. Verify the "tools.guestlib.enableHostInfo" 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 tools.guestlib.enableHostInfo If the virtual machine advanced setting "tools.guestlib.enableHostInfo" does not exist or is not set to "false", this is a finding.

Check Text ( C-60140r886436_chk )

From the vSphere Client, right-click the Virtual Machine and go to Edit Settings >> VM Options >> Advanced >> Configuration Parameters >> Edit Configuration.

Verify the "tools.guestlib.enableHostInfo" 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 tools.guestlib.enableHostInfo

If the virtual machine advanced setting "tools.guestlib.enableHostInfo" does not exist or is not set to "false", this is a finding.

Fix Text (F-60083r886437_fix)
From the vSphere Client, right-click the Virtual Machine and go to Edit Settings >> VM Options >> Advanced >> Configuration Parameters >> Edit Configuration. Find the "tools.guestlib.enableHostInfo" 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 Client. Therefore, it is recommended to configure these settings with PowerCLI as this 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 provided commands as shown below. If the setting does not exist, run: Get-VM "VM Name" \| New-AdvancedSetting -Name tools.guestlib.enableHostInfo -Value false If the setting exists, run: Get-VM "VM Name" \| Get-AdvancedSetting -Name tools.guestlib.enableHostInfo \| Set-AdvancedSetting -Value false

Fix Text (F-60083r886437_fix)

From the vSphere Client, right-click the Virtual Machine and go to Edit Settings >> VM Options >> Advanced >> Configuration Parameters >> Edit Configuration.

Find the "tools.guestlib.enableHostInfo" 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 Client. Therefore, it is recommended to configure these settings with PowerCLI as this 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 provided commands as shown below.

If the setting does not exist, run:

Get-VM "VM Name" | New-AdvancedSetting -Name tools.guestlib.enableHostInfo -Value false

If the setting exists, run:

Get-VM "VM Name" | Get-AdvancedSetting -Name tools.guestlib.enableHostInfo | Set-AdvancedSetting -Value false