Title

The virtual machine (VM) guest operating system must be locked when the last console connection is closed. (Cat II impact)

Discussion

When accessing the VM console, the guest operating system must be locked when the last console user disconnects, limiting the possibility of session hijacking. This setting only applies to Windows-based VMs with VMware tools installed.

Check Content

From the vSphere Client, select the Virtual Machine, right-click, and go to Edit Settings >> VM Options tab >> Advanced >> Configuration Parameters >> Edit Configuration. Find the "tools.guest.desktop.autolock" value and verify it is set to "true". or From a PowerCLI command prompt while connected to the ESXi host or vCenter server, run the following command: Get-VM "VM Name" | Get-AdvancedSetting -Name tools.guest.desktop.autolock If the virtual machine advanced setting "tools.guest.desktop.autolock" does not exist or is not set to "true", this is a finding. If the VM is not Windows-based, this is not a finding.

Fix Text

From the vSphere Client, select the Virtual Machine, right-click and go to Edit Settings >> VM Options tab >> Advanced >> Configuration Parameters >> Edit Configuration. Find or create the "tools.guest.desktop.autolock" value and set it to "true". Note: The VM must be powered off to modify the advanced settings through the vSphere Client. It is recommended to configure these settings with PowerCLI as this can be done while the VM is powered on. In this case, the modified settings will not take effect until a cold boot of the VM. or From a PowerCLI command prompt while connected to the ESXi host or vCenter server, run the provided commands as shown below. If the setting does not exist, run: Get-VM "VM Name" | New-AdvancedSetting -Name tools.guest.desktop.autolock -Value true If the setting exists, run: Get-VM "VM Name" | Get-AdvancedSetting -Name tools.guest.desktop.autolock | Set-AdvancedSetting -Value true

Additional Identifiers

Rule ID: SV-256470r886453_rule

Vulnerability ID: V-256470

Group Title: SRG-OS-000480-VMM-002000

Expert Comments

CCIs tied to check.

Controls tied to check. These are derived from the CCIs shown above.