Name:ESXi SSH Enabled id:b8003567-c5b6-445b-8966-ecdacc81c24d version:1 date:2025-05-12 author:Raven Tait, Splunk status:production type:TTP Description:This detection identifies SSH being enabled on ESXi hosts, which can be an early indicator of malicious activity. Threat actors often use SSH to gain persistent remote access after compromising credentials or exploiting vulnerabilities. Data_source:
-VMWare ESXi Syslog
search:`esxi_syslog` Message="*SSH access has been enabled" | rex field=_raw "Z (?<dest>[\w\.]+)\s" | stats min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime count by dest Message | `security_content_ctime(firstTime)` | `security_content_ctime(lastTime)` | `esxi_ssh_enabled_filter`
how_to_implement:This is based on syslog data generated by VMware ESXi hosts. To implement this search, you must configure your ESXi systems to forward syslog output to your Splunk deployment. These logs must be ingested with the appropriate Splunk Technology Add-on for VMware ESXi Logs, which provides field extractions and CIM compatibility. known_false_positives:Limited false positives in most environments, however tune as needed. Some Administrators may use SSH for troubleshooting. References: drilldown_searches: name:'View the detection results for - "$dest$"' search:'%original_detection_search% | search dest = "$dest$"' earliest_offset:'$info_min_time$' latest_offset:'$info_max_time$' name:'View risk events for the last 7 days for - "$dest$"' search:'| from datamodel Risk.All_Risk | search normalized_risk_object IN ("$dest$") starthoursago=168 | stats count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime values(search_name) as "Search Name" values(risk_message) as "Risk Message" values(analyticstories) as "Analytic Stories" values(annotations._all) as "Annotations" values(annotations.mitre_attack.mitre_tactic) as "ATT&CK Tactics" by normalized_risk_object | `security_content_ctime(firstTime)` | `security_content_ctime(lastTime)`' earliest_offset:'$info_min_time$' latest_offset:'$info_max_time$' tags: analytic_story: - 'ESXi Post Compromise' - 'Black Basta Ransomware' asset_type:Infrastructure mitre_attack_id: - 'T1021.004' product: - 'Splunk Enterprise' - 'Splunk Enterprise Security' - 'Splunk Cloud' security_domain:endpoint
