Extracting ESXi security hardening parameters in Host profile and remediating on other ESXi

Products

• VMware vSphere ESX 7.x
• VMware vSphere ESX 8.x

Issue/Introduction

We have one ESXi where we have applied the VMware security hardening parameters and want to implement the same on the other ESXi.

To achieve this, if we plan to use Host profiles there here are the limitations.

Environment

vSphere 7.0

vSphere 8.0

Cause

Host profile extraction doesn't extract the security-related parameters' value into the host profile document. They can be extracted as unchanged or user input options since the sensitive data is not stored as clear text on ESXi hosts.

 The security details captured in a host profile are also limited and depend on various conditions.

 The only place to check is the host profile -> Security settings

Resolution

The customer has to use the traditional security hardening guide and implement it on each ESXi. 

VMware Security Hardening Guides