VMware vSphere 7.0 vCenter Appliance Photon OS STIG Version Comparison

There are 4 differences between versions v1 r2 (July 26, 2023) (the "left" version) and v1 r4 (Jan. 30, 2025) (the "right" version).

Check PHTN-30-000064 was changed between these two versions. Green, underlined text was added, red, struck-out text was removed.

The regular view of the left check and right check may be easier to read.

Title

The Photon operating system must configure sshd to use FIPS 140-2 ciphers.

Check Content

At the command line, run the following command: # sshd -T|&grep -i Ciphers Expected result: ciphers aes256-gcm@openssh.com,aes128-gcm@openssh.com,aes256-ctr,aes192-ctr,aes128-ctr If aes128-ctr,aes128-gcm@openssh.com,aes192-ctr,aes256-gcm@openssh.com,aes256-ctr If the output matches the ciphers in the expected result or a subset thereof, this is not a finding. If the ciphers in the output contain any ciphers not listed in the expected result, this is a finding.

Discussion

Privileged access contains control and configuration information and is particularly sensitive, so additional protections are necessary. This is maintained by using cryptographic mechanisms such as encryption to protect confidentiality. Nonlocal maintenance and diagnostic activities are conducted by individuals communicating through an external network (e.g., the internet) or internal network. Local maintenance and diagnostic activities are carried out by individuals physically present at the information system or information system component and not communicating across a network connection. This requirement applies to hardware/software diagnostic test equipment or tools. It does not cover hardware/software components that may support information system maintenance, yet are a part of the system (e.g., the software implementing "ping," "ls," "ipconfig," or the hardware and software implementing the monitoring port of an Ethernet switch). The operating system can meet this requirement by leveraging a cryptographic module. Satisfies: SRG-OS-000394-GPOS-00174, SRG-OS-000424-GPOS-00188

Fix

Navigate to and open: /etc/ssh/sshd_config Ensure the "Ciphers" line is uncommented and set to the following: Ciphers aes256-gcm@openssh.com,aes128-gcm@openssh.com,aes256-ctr,aes192-ctr,aes128-ctr At aes128-ctr,aes128-gcm@openssh.com,aes192-ctr,aes256-gcm@openssh.com,aes256-ctr At the command line, run the following command: # systemctl restart sshd.service