Details
It is recommended that 3D acceleration be disabled on virtual machines that do not require 3D functionality, (e.g. most server workloads or desktops not using 3D applications).
Solution
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 ‘mks.enable3d’ value and set it to ‘false’.
Note: The VM must be powered off to modify the advanced settings through the vSphere Web 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 following command:
If the setting does not exist, run:
Get-VM ‘VM Name’ | New-AdvancedSetting -Name mks.enable3d -Value false
If the setting exists, run:
Get-VM ‘VM Name’ | Get-AdvancedSetting -Name mks.enable3d | Set-AdvancedSetting -Value false
Supportive Information
The following resource is also helpful.
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|III
- CCI|CCI-000366
- Rule-ID|SV-237102r640143_rule
- STIG-ID|VMCH-65-000048
- STIG-Legacy|SV-104479
- STIG-Legacy|V-94649
- Vuln-ID|V-237102