Details

If expired certificates are not removed from the vCenter Server, the user can be subject to a MiTM attack, which potentially might enable compromise through impersonation with the user’s credentials to the vCenter Server system.

NOTE: Nessus has not performed this check. Please review the benchmark to ensure target compliance.

Solution

If a site procedure to ensure the monitoring and removal of expired certificates from the vCenter Server Windows host does not exist, create one. Check the vCenter Server/host for the presence of expired certificates. Remove all expired certificates.

Supportive Information

The following resource is also helpful.

• https://dl.dod.cyber.mil/wp-content/uploads/stigs/zip/U_VMW_ESXi5_vCenter_Server_V2R1_STIG.zip

This security hardening control applies to the following category of controls within NIST 800-53: Configuration Management.This control applies to the following type of system VMware.

References

• 800-53|CM-6b.
• CAT|II
• CCI|CCI-000366
• Group-ID|V-39553
• Rule-ID|SV-250734r799892_rule
• STIG-ID|VCENTER-000015
• STIG-Legacy|SV-51411
• STIG-Legacy|V-39553
• Vuln-ID|V-250734

Source

• Tenable.com/audits