The ESXi host SSH daemon must be configured to only use FIPS 140-2 validated ciphers.
Severity | Group ID | Group Title | Version | Rule ID | Date | STIG Version |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| medium | V-256449 | SRG-OS-000478-VMM-001980 | ESXI-70-000274 | SV-256449r959006_rule | 2025-02-11 | 1 |
Description
Use of weak or untested encryption algorithms undermines the purposes of using encryption to protect data. ESXi must implement cryptographic modules adhering to the higher standards approved by the federal government because this provides assurance they have been tested and validated.
ℹ️ Check
From an ESXi shell, run the following command:
# /usr/lib/vmware/openssh/bin/sshd -T|grep ciphers
Expected result:
ciphers aes256-gcm@openssh.com,aes128-gcm@openssh.com,aes256-ctr,aes192-ctr,aes128-ctr
If the output does not match the expected result, this is a finding.
✔️ Fix
From an ESXi shell, add or correct the following line in "/etc/ssh/sshd_config":
Ciphers aes256-gcm@openssh.com,aes128-gcm@openssh.com,aes256-ctr,aes192-ctr,aes128-ctr