Virtual machines (VMs) must enable logging.

Overview

Finding ID	Version	Rule ID	IA Controls	Severity
V-258720	VMCH-80-000207	SV-258720r959010_rule		Medium

Description
The ESXi hypervisor maintains logs for each individual VM by default. These logs contain information including, but not limited to, power events, system failure information, tools status and activity, time sync, virtual hardware changes, vMotion migrations and machine clones. Due to the value these logs provide for the continued availability of each VM and potential security incidents, these logs must be enabled.

Description

The ESXi hypervisor maintains logs for each individual VM by default. These logs contain information including, but not limited to, power events, system failure information, tools status and activity, time sync, virtual hardware changes, vMotion migrations and machine clones. Due to the value these logs provide for the continued availability of each VM and potential security incidents, these logs must be enabled.

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

Details

Check Text ( C-62460r933219_chk )
For each virtual machine do the following: From the vSphere Client, right-click the Virtual Machine and go to Edit Settings >> VM Options >> Advanced. Ensure that the checkbox next to "Enable logging" is checked. or From a PowerCLI command prompt while connected to the ESXi host or vCenter server, run the following command: Get-VM \| Where {$_.ExtensionData.Config.Flags.EnableLogging -ne "True"} If logging is not enabled, this is a finding.

Check Text ( C-62460r933219_chk )

For each virtual machine do the following:

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

Ensure that the checkbox next to "Enable logging" is checked.

or

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

Get-VM | Where {$_.ExtensionData.Config.Flags.EnableLogging -ne "True"}

If logging is not enabled, this is a finding.

Fix Text (F-62369r933220_fix)
For each virtual machine do the following: From the vSphere Client, right-click the Virtual Machine and go to Edit Settings >> VM Options >> Advanced. Click the checkbox next to "Enable logging". Click "OK". or From a PowerCLI command prompt while connected to the ESXi host or vCenter server, run the following commands: $spec = New-Object VMware.Vim.VirtualMachineConfigSpec $spec.Flags = New-Object VMware.Vim.VirtualMachineFlagInfo $spec.Flags.enableLogging = $true (Get-VM -Name ).ExtensionData.ReconfigVM($spec)

Fix Text (F-62369r933220_fix)

For each virtual machine do the following:

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

Click the checkbox next to "Enable logging". Click "OK".

or

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

$spec = New-Object VMware.Vim.VirtualMachineConfigSpec
$spec.Flags = New-Object VMware.Vim.VirtualMachineFlagInfo
$spec.Flags.enableLogging = $true
(Get-VM -Name ).ExtensionData.ReconfigVM($spec)