The system must explicitly disable paste operations.
From VMware ESXi Version 5 Virtual Machine Security Technical Implementation Guide
Part of ESXi5-205
Associated with:
CCI-000366
SV-51305r1_rule
The system must explicitly disable paste operations.
Vulnerability discussion
Copy and paste operations are disabled by default; however, by explicitly disabling this feature it will enable audit controls to check that this setting is correct. Copy, paste, drag and drop, or GUI copy/paste operations between the guest OS and the remote console could provide the means for an attacker to compromise the VM.
Check content
Temporarily disable Lockdown Mode and enable the ESXi Shell via the vSphere Client.
Open the vSphere/VMware Infrastructure (VI) Client and log in with appropriate credentials.
If connecting to vCenter Server, click on the desired host.
Click the Configuration tab.
Click Software, Security Profile, Services, Properties, ESXi Shell, and Options, respectively.
Start the ESXi Shell service, where/as required.
As root, log in to the ESXi Shell and locate the VM's vmx file.
# find / | grep vmx
Check the VM's ".vmx" file for the correct " = " pair.
keyword = isolation.tools.paste.disable
keyval = TRUE
# grep "^"
If the above command return is either empty or does not reflect the above keyword and keyval value(s), this is a finding.
Re-enable Lockdown Mode on the host.
Fix text
Configure the VM with the correct " = " pair.
To edit a powered-down virtual machine's .vmx file, first remove it from vCenter Server's inventory. Manual additions to the .vmx file from ESXi will be overwritten by any registered entries stored in the vCenter Server database. Make a backup copy of the .vmx file. If the edit breaks the virtual machine, it can be rolled back to the original version of the file.
Open the vSphere/VMware Infrastructure (VI) Client and log in with appropriate credentials.
If connecting to vCenter Server, click on the desired host.
Click the Configuration tab.
Click Storage.
Right-click on the appropriate datastore and click Browse Datastore.
Navigate to the folder named after the virtual machine, and locate the .vmx file.
Right-click the .vmx file and click Remove from inventory.
Temporarily disable Lockdown Mode and enable the ESXi Shell via the vSphere Client.
Open the vSphere/VMware Infrastructure (VI) Client and log in with appropriate credentials.
If connecting to vCenter Server, click on the desired host.
Click the Configuration tab.
Click Software, Security Profile, Services, Properties, ESXi Shell, and Options, respectively.
Start the ESXi Shell service, where/as required.
As root, log in to the ESXi host and locate the VM's vmx file.
# find / | grep vmx
Add the following to the VM's vmx file.
keyword = "keyval"
Where:
keyword = isolation.tools.paste.disable
keyval = TRUE
Re-enable Lockdown Mode on the host.
Re-register the VM with the vCenter Server:
Open the vSphere/VMware Infrastructure (VI) Client and log in with appropriate credentials.
If connecting to vCenter Server, click on the desired host.
Click the Configuration tab.
Click Storage.
Right-click on the appropriate datastore and click Browse Datastore.
Navigate to the folder named after the virtual machine, and locate the .vmx file.
Right-click the .vmx file and click Add to inventory. The Add to Inventory wizard opens.
Continue to follow the wizard to add the virtual machine.
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