Virtual machines (VMs) must prevent unauthorized removal, connection, and modification of devices.

Overview

Finding ID	Version	Rule ID	IA Controls	Severity
V-258710	VMCH-80-000197	SV-258710r959010_rule		Medium

Description
In a virtual machine, users and processes without root or administrator privileges can connect or disconnect devices, such as network adaptors and CD-ROM drives, and can modify device settings. Use the virtual machine settings editor or configuration editor to remove unneeded or unused hardware devices. To use the device again, prevent a user or running process in the virtual machine from connecting, disconnecting, or modifying a device from within the guest operating system. By default, a rogue user with nonadministrator privileges in a virtual machine can: 1. Connect a disconnected CD-ROM drive and access sensitive information on the media left in the drive. 2. Disconnect a network adaptor to isolate the virtual machine from its network, which is a denial of service. 3. Modify settings on a device.

Description

In a virtual machine, users and processes without root or administrator privileges can connect or disconnect devices, such as network adaptors and CD-ROM drives, and can modify device settings. Use the virtual machine settings editor or configuration editor to remove unneeded or unused hardware devices. To use the device again, prevent a user or running process in the virtual machine from connecting, disconnecting, or modifying a device from within the guest operating system. By default, a rogue user with nonadministrator privileges in a virtual machine can: 1. Connect a disconnected CD-ROM drive and access sensitive information on the media left in the drive. 2. Disconnect a network adaptor to isolate the virtual machine from its network, which is a denial of service. 3. Modify settings on a device.

STIG	Date
VMware vSphere 8.0 Virtual Machine Security Technical Implementation Guide	2024-07-11

Details

Check Text ( C-62450r933189_chk )
For each virtual machine do the following: From the vSphere Client, right-click the Virtual Machine and go to Edit Settings >> Advanced Parameters. Verify the "isolation.device.connectable.disable" value is set to "true". 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 isolation.device.connectable.disable If the virtual machine advanced setting "isolation.device.connectable.disable" is not set to "true", this is a finding. If the virtual machine advanced setting "isolation.device.connectable.disable" does not exist, this is not a finding.

Check Text ( C-62450r933189_chk )

For each virtual machine do the following:

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

Verify the "isolation.device.connectable.disable" value is set to "true".

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 isolation.device.connectable.disable

If the virtual machine advanced setting "isolation.device.connectable.disable" is not set to "true", this is a finding.

If the virtual machine advanced setting "isolation.device.connectable.disable" does not exist, this is not a finding.

Fix Text (F-62359r933190_fix)
For each virtual machine do the following: From the vSphere Client, right-click the Virtual Machine and go to Edit Settings >> Advanced Parameters. Find the "isolation.device.connectable.disable" value and set it to "true". If the setting does not exist no action is needed. 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 isolation.device.connectable.disable \| Set-AdvancedSetting -Value true 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.

Fix Text (F-62359r933190_fix)

For each virtual machine do the following:

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

Find the "isolation.device.connectable.disable" value and set it to "true".

If the setting does not exist no action is needed.

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 isolation.device.connectable.disable | Set-AdvancedSetting -Value true

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.