As an IT engineer, securing your environment and ensuring its reliability and stability is a top priority. In this article, we will discuss the remediation of vulnerabilities in VMware ESXi 6.5 hosts.

According to a rapid scan report, the following vulnerabilities exist on ESXi 6.5 hosts:

1. CVE-2017-16544

2. CVE-2021-21974

3. CVE-2019-5531

4. CVE-2019-5528

5. CVE-2020-3976

6. CVE-2018-12207

7. CVE-2020-3982

8. CVE-2019-11091

9. CVE-2018-12126

10. CVE-2018-12127

11. CVE-2018-12130

These vulnerabilities are categorized into critical, high, medium, and low levels of severity. To secure the environment, it is essential to remediate these vulnerabilities as soon as possible.

The majority of the vulnerabilities can be remedied by applying the latest ESXi 6.5 security patch on the ESXi hosts. The patch version is ESXi650-202102001, and it can be downloaded from the VMware website. Once the patch is applied, most of the vulnerabilities will be remedied.

However, some vulnerabilities still remain after applying the patch. To remediate these remaining vulnerabilities, we need to make changes on both VCSA and ESXi hosts. The steps to remediate the vulnerabilities are as follows:

1. Disable TLS 1.0 and 1.1 on VCSA and enable TLS 1.2 only. This can be done by referring to the VMware Knowledge Base article KB-53343.

2. Disable TLS 1.0 and 1.1 on ESXi hosts.

3. For SSH server supports 3DES vulnerability, we need to make changes in the SSHD config file on the ESXi hosts and remove the 3DES-CBC support for SSH.

4. For the vulnerability “TLS/SSL Server Supports The Use of Static Key Ciphers”, we need to make changes on ESXi host file “/etc/vmware/rhttpproxy/config.xml” and add the following entry:

“`

ECDHE-RSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384:!aNULL:!AES128-SHA:!AES128-SHA256:!AES128-GCM-SHA256:!AES256-SHA:!AES256-SHA256:!AES256-GCM-SHA384

“`

between … after .

5. For untrusted TLS/SSL server X.509 certificate vulnerability, update your company CA certificate for secure communication between vCenter and ESXi hosts. This can be done by referring to the VMware Knowledge Base article KB-53343.

After applying all the above steps, a rapid scan on the ESXi host should show zero vulnerabilities. Therefore, it is essential to regularly monitor and update your ESXi hosts to ensure their security and stability.

In conclusion, securing your environment and ensuring its reliability and stability is a top priority for IT engineers. By remediating vulnerabilities in ESXi 6.5 hosts, you can ensure the security of your environment and prevent potential threats. Remember to regularly monitor and update your ESXi hosts to maintain their security and stability.