The system must enable SSL for Network File Copy (NFC).

Overview

Finding ID	Version	Rule ID	IA Controls	Severity
V-63979	VCWN-06-000021	SV-78469r1_rule		Medium

Description
NFC is the mechanism used to migrate or clone a VM between two ESXi hosts over the network. By default, NFC over SSL is enabled (i.e., "True") within a vSphere cluster but the value of the setting is null. Clients check the value of the setting and default to not using SSL for performance reasons if the value is null. This behavior can be changed by ensuring the setting has been explicitly created and set to "True". This will force clients to use SSL. Without this setting VM contents could potentially be sniffed if the management network is not adequately isolated and secured.

Description

NFC is the mechanism used to migrate or clone a VM between two ESXi hosts over the network. By default, NFC over SSL is enabled (i.e., "True") within a vSphere cluster but the value of the setting is null. Clients check the value of the setting and default to not using SSL for performance reasons if the value is null. This behavior can be changed by ensuring the setting has been explicitly created and set to "True". This will force clients to use SSL. Without this setting VM contents could potentially be sniffed if the management network is not adequately isolated and secured.

STIG	Date
VMware vSphere vCenter Server Version 6 Security Technical Implementation Guide	2017-01-06

Details

Check Text ( C-64731r1_chk )
From the vSphere Web Client go to vCenter Inventory Lists >> vCenter Servers >> Select your vCenter Server >> Manage >> Settings >> Advanced Settings. Verify that config.nfc.useSSL is set to true. or From a PowerCLI command prompt while connected to the vCenter server run the following command: Get-AdvancedSetting -Entity -Name config.nfc.useSSL and verify it is set to true. If the config.nfc.useSSL is set to a value other than true or does not exist, this is a finding.

Check Text ( C-64731r1_chk )

From the vSphere Web Client go to vCenter Inventory Lists >> vCenter Servers >> Select your vCenter Server >> Manage >> Settings >> Advanced Settings. Verify that config.nfc.useSSL is set to true.

or

From a PowerCLI command prompt while connected to the vCenter server run the following command:

Get-AdvancedSetting -Entity -Name config.nfc.useSSL and verify it is set to true.

If the config.nfc.useSSL is set to a value other than true or does not exist, this is a finding.

Fix Text (F-69909r1_fix)
From the vSphere Web Client go to vCenter Inventory Lists >> vCenter Servers >> Select your vCenter Server >> Manage >> Settings >> Advanced Settings. Click Edit and edit the config.nfc.useSSL setting to true or if the value does not exist create it by entering the values in the Key and Value fields and clicking Add. or From a PowerCLI command prompt while connected to the vCenter server run the following command: If the setting already exists: Get-AdvancedSetting -Entity -Name config.nfc.useSSL \| Set-AdvancedSetting -Value true If the setting does not exist: New-AdvancedSetting -Entity -Name config.nfc.useSSL -Value true

Fix Text (F-69909r1_fix)

From the vSphere Web Client go to vCenter Inventory Lists >> vCenter Servers >> Select your vCenter Server >> Manage >> Settings >> Advanced Settings. Click Edit and edit the config.nfc.useSSL setting to true or if the value does not exist create it by entering the values in the Key and Value fields and clicking Add.

or

From a PowerCLI command prompt while connected to the vCenter server run the following command:

If the setting already exists:

Get-AdvancedSetting -Entity -Name config.nfc.useSSL | Set-AdvancedSetting -Value true

If the setting does not exist:

New-AdvancedSetting -Entity -Name config.nfc.useSSL -Value true