The ESXi host Secure Shell (SSH) daemon must be configured to not allow gateway ports.
Overview
| Finding ID | Version | Rule ID | IA Controls | Severity |
| V-256391 | ESXI-70-000022 | SV-256391r959010_rule | Low |
| Description |
| SSH Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) connection forwarding provides a mechanism to establish TCP connections proxied by the SSH server. This function can provide convenience similar to a virtual private network (VPN) with the similar risk of providing a path to circumvent firewalls and network Access Control Lists (ACLs). Gateway ports allow remote forwarded ports to bind to nonloopback addresses on the server. |
| STIG | Date |
| VMware vSphere 7.0 ESXi Security Technical Implementation Guide | 2024-12-16 |
Details
| Check Text (C-60066r885952_chk) |
| From an ESXi shell, run the following command: # /usr/lib/vmware/openssh/bin/sshd -T|grep gatewayports Expected result: gatewayports no If the output does not match the expected result, this is a finding. |
| Fix Text (F-60009r885953_fix) |
| From an ESXi shell, add or correct the following line in "/etc/ssh/sshd_config": GatewayPorts no |