"You are accessing a U.S. Government (USG) Information System (IS) that is provided for USG-authorized use only" MOTD banner appears on FIPS-enabled Ubuntu Kubernetes Nodes on VKS

Products

• VMware vSphere Kubernetes Service

Issue/Introduction

• When logging into FIPS-enabled Ubuntu Kubernetes worker nodes, users observe a U.S. FIPS enablement Message of the Day (MOTD) on the console like following:
  
• The worker nodes are deployed via vSphere Kubernetes Service and are running inside a VKS workload cluster.
• The FIPS-enabled Ubuntu images used for these nodes are deployed via a custom OVA and not the one provided from the content library of the Supervisor cluster.

Environment

vSphere Kubernetes Service

Cause

This happens because the Kubernetes worker nodes are deployed using a customized or separately downloaded OVA rather than the standard OVF natively provided within the Supervisor cluster's Content Library.
The downloaded image contains a hardcoded U.S. FIPS Message of the Day (MOTD). In contrast, the standard Ubuntu VKR OVF present within the Supervisor's Content Library does not contain this customized messaging on the console.

Resolution

To resolve the issue and remove the U.S. FIPS MOTD, proceed with one of the following two options depending on the deployment preferences:

Option 1: Use the standard image from the Supervisor Content Library - If the preference is not to manually edit the nodes, the cluster and the nodes can be redeployed using the default OVF available in the Supervisor cluster's Content Library. Reference: Create a Subscribed Content Library.

Option 2: Keep the customized image and manually clear the MOTD by following the below workaround:

1. Open an SSH session to the affected Ubuntu Kubernetes node. Refer to the following document on how to open an SSH session to any Guest Cluster node: SSH to VKS Cluster Nodes as the System User Using a Password or Private Key
2. Open the /etc/motd file in a text editor.
3. Remove or manually update the U.S. FIPS message to align with the requirements.
4. Save the file.