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Ask the IAO/SA if any third party firewalls are installed on the ESX Server service console. If the answer is yes, inquire as to what is installed. If it is anything other than IPtables, this is a finding.
Remove third party firewalls from the ESX Server service console.
Ask the IAO/SA how often the hash signatures are reviewed. If they are not reviewed at least monthly, this is a finding. File Location Permission /etc/fstab 640 /etc/group 644 /etc/host.conf 640 /etc/hosts 640 /etc/hosts.allow 640 /etc/hosts.deny 640 /etc/logrotate.conf 640 /etc/logrotate.d/ 700 /etc/modules.conf 640 /etc/motd 640 /etc/ntp 755 /etc/ntp.conf 644 /etc/pam.d/system-auth 644 /etc/profile 644 /etc/shadow 400 /etc/securetty 600 /etc/ssh/sshd_config 600 /etc/snmp 755 /etc/sudoers 440 /etc/vmware 755
Review the hash signatures for the /etc files monthly.
Ask the IAO/SA how often they review the ESX Server log files listed below: VMkernel /var/log/vmkernel, VMkernel warnings: /var/log/vmkwarning, VMkernel summary: /var/log/vmksummary.txt, ESX Server host agent log: /var/log/vmware/hostd.log, Individual virtual machine logs: <path to virtual machine on ESX, Server>/vmware.log VI Client agent log: /var/log/vmware/vpx/vpxa.log, Web access: /var/log/vmware/webAccess, Service console: /var/log/messages, Authentication log: /var/log/secure. Caveat: If the log files are being written to a syslog server, work with the system administrator to verify they are being reviewed there. If the IAO/SA does not review them daily, this is a finding.
Review ESX Server log files daily.
Ask the IAO/SA to provide actual update notification to verify that they are on the subscription list. The email subscription for VMware is security-announce@lists.vmware.com. If no emails or documentation can be provided, this is a finding.
Subscribe to vendor security and patch notifications.
Request a copy of the backup and recovery procedures for the ESX Servers, management applications, and virtual machines. If no procedures can be produced or they are incomplete, this is a finding.
Develop backup and recovery procedures for the virtual infrastructure.
Request a copy of the disaster recovery plan from the IAO/SA. Review the plan to verify that the ESX Server, management applications, virtual machines, and all necessary system peripherals are included in the plan. If the plan does not include the virtual infrastructure or is incomplete, this is a finding.
Add the virtual infrastructure to the disaster recovery plan.
Request a copy of the VirtualCenter group documentation listing the users in the following groups: Database Administrators, Virtual Machine Administrators, Resource Pool Administrators, ESX Administrators, Virtual Machine Power Users, and All Custom Roles If documentation can not be produced, this is a finding. Compare the documentation to the actual users assigned in the groups. If there are discrepancies, this is a finding.
Document all the users assigned to all VirtualCenter groups.
Request a copy of the document specifying users assigned to the Windows Administrators group on the VirtualCenter Server. If no documentation exists, this is a finding. Compare the documented users to those listed in the group on the server. If any discrepancies exist, this is a finding.
Document all users in the Windows Administrators group.
Ask the IAO/SA how often the following groups are reviewed on the VirtualCenter Server: Windows Administrators group, Database Administrators, Virtual Machine Administrators, Resource Pool Administrators, ESX Administrators, Virtual Machine Power Users, and All Custom Roles. If these groups are not reviewed at least monthly, this is a finding.
Review the VirtualCenter groups monthly.
Request a copy of the configuration management process document. If the document is incomplete or does not exist, this is a finding.
Document a configuration management process for all VirtualCenter modifications.
Request a copy of the baseline configuration document for all VirtualCenter users, groups, permissions, and roles. If the document is incomplete or does not exist, this is a finding.
Create a baseline configuration document for all VirtualCenter users, groups, permissions, and roles.
Ask the IAO/SA how often they review the VirtualCenter logs. VirtualCenter logs include System Logs and Events. If the logs are not reviewed daily, this is a finding.
Review the VirtualCenter logs daily.
Request a copy of all the virtualization infrastructure documentation. Documentation must include all ESX Servers, virtual machines, IP addresses, MAC addresses, virtual switches, operating systems, and any virtual applications. If the documentation does include all of these components, this is a finding.
Develop up-to-date documentation for the virtualization infrastructure.
Ask the IAO/SA how they import and export VMDK files. If they are using the VMware-converter utility, this is not a finding. If they are using a third party converter, ensure that the converter is supported by the vendor. This might require going to the vendor’s website and verifying the version used is supported. If it is not, this is a finding.
Use the VMware-converter for all import and export of VMDK files to VMFS partitions.
Request a copy of the policy that is used to assign virtual machines to personnel. If no policy or procedure exists, this is a finding.
Develop a policy for assigning virtual machines to the appropriate personnel.
Ask the IAO/SA what tools are used to administer virtual machines remotely. If the response includes the VI console, this is a finding.
Use third party tools to administer virtual machines.
Request a copy of the virtual machine rename approval documentation from the IAO/SA. If no documentation can be produced, this is a finding.
Develop approval documentation for all virtual machine renames.
Request a copy of the policy restricting virtual machine sharing and copying over networks and removable media. If no policy exists, this is a finding. Caveat: This is not applicable to snapshot backups, disaster recovery virtual machines, test and development virtual machines, and clustered virtual machines.
Develop a policy that prohibits virtual machine sharing and copying over networks and removable media.
Ask the IAO/SA if virtual machines have been copied to removable media (DVD, CD-ROM, USB drives). If so, request the documentation for all virtual machine moves to removable media. If no documentation exists, this is a finding.
Document all virtual machine moves to removable media.
Request the approval documentation from the IAO/SA that the site uses for all virtual machines taken off site. If no documentation exists, this is a finding.
Create documentation to use for virtual machines taken off site.
Ask the IAO/SA the process used for virtual machine rollbacks. If no process is used that includes disconnecting the virtual machine from the network before performing a revert to snapshot or rollback, this is a finding.
Disconnect from the network or power off the virtual machine before rollbacks.
Request a copy of the virtual machine requirements documentation. If no documentation exists, this is a finding.
Develop virtual machine requirements documentation.
Request a copy of the ESX Server training documentation for all staff administering the ESX Servers and peripheral systems. If no training documentation can be produced, this is a finding.
Train all the ESX Server administrators.
VMware support for ESX versions 3 and 4 ended 21 May 2016. If ESX version 3 or 4, virtual machines, or associated management software, such as VirtualCenter, is installed on a system, this is a finding.
Upgrade ESX version 3 and 4 systems, virtual machines, and associated management software to supported versions.