The ESXi host Secure Shell (SSH) daemon must not allow host-based authentication.
Overview
| Finding ID | Version | Rule ID | IA Controls | Severity |
| V-256386 | ESXI-70-000013 | SV-256386r959010_rule | Medium |
| Description |
| SSH trust relationships mean a compromise on one host can allow an attacker to move trivially to other hosts. SSH's cryptographic host-based authentication is more secure than ".rhosts" authentication because hosts are cryptographically authenticated. However, it is not recommended that hosts unilaterally trust one another, even within an organization. |
| STIG | Date |
| VMware vSphere 7.0 ESXi Security Technical Implementation Guide | 2024-12-16 |
Details
| Check Text (C-60061r885937_chk) |
| From an ESXi shell, run the following command: # /usr/lib/vmware/openssh/bin/sshd -T|grep hostbasedauthentication Expected result: hostbasedauthentication no If the output does not match the expected result, this is a finding. |
| Fix Text (F-60004r885938_fix) |
| From an ESXi shell, add or correct the following line in "/etc/ssh/sshd_config": HostbasedAuthentication no |