VMware and SSL Settings: How to Stay Safe
Proper use of Secure Socket Layer security is a mystery even to many virtual server administrators, but it seems to be mysterious even to the developers who build it into their products-whether they know it or not.
The VMware v3.5.x Configuration Guide states that SSL is not enabled in the virtualization software by default. It claims that the initial contact between components is protected but no further communication.
While my previous blog on the SSL MiTM attack refutes even the first statement, I didn't mention that the data being communicated along with those early packets is mainly credential information, which should be protected. I also didn't go into whether we need to protect the rest.
Before we can answer that question we need to understand how the traffic is transferred and between what points. There are at least two systems involved, if not three. So a quick summary of communication is needed.
The first connection is between the VMware Infrastructure (VIC), Remote CLI (RCLI), or VI SDK client and the Virtual Center Management Server (VCMS).
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[Disclaimer: I am an
[Disclaimer: I am an employee at VMware but opinions expressed here are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of my employer.]I'm a developer at VMware. Here's my attempt to clarify exactly how we use SSL.
All network communication with the VMware APIs/interfaces in VI3 (ESX 3.0, 3.5, VC 2.0, 2.5 etc. as well as Server 2.0) is SSL encrypted. This includes all SDK and management agent communication with VirtualCenter and the Virtual Infrastructure client, which uses SOAP over HTTPS. It also includes direct communication between a browser and the ESX host, *and* remote display and remote device connections initiated by remote clients.
The only exception to this are management connections initiated from the same machine over the loopback interface, which are allowed to use unencrypted SOAP over HTTP rather than HTTPS.
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