STIGQter: STIG Summary: VMware vSphere 8.0 vCenter Appliance PostgreSQL Security Technical Implementation Guide Version: 2 Release: 3 Benchmark Date: 01 Jul 2026:

The vCenter PostgreSQL service must require authentication on all connections.

DISA Rule

SV-259175r1210434_rule

Vulnerability Number

V-259175

Group Title

SRG-APP-000148-DB-000103

Rule Version

VCPG-80-000036

Severity

CAT II

CCI(s)

• CCI-000197 - For password-based authentication, transmit passwords only cryptographically-protected channels.
• CCI-000764 - Uniquely identify and authenticate organizational users and associate that unique identification with processes acting on behalf of those users.

Weight

10

Fix Recommendation

Navigate to and open:

/storage/db/vpostgres/pg_hba.conf

Find and update any line that has a method of "trust" or "password" in the far-right column.

A correct, typical line will look like the following:

# TYPE DATABASE USER ADDRESS METHOD
local VCDB vpxd peer map=vcdb

Restart the PostgreSQL service by running the following command:

# vmon-cli --restart vmware-vpostgres

Check Contents

At the command prompt, run the following command:

# grep -v "^#" /storage/db/vpostgres/pg_hba.conf |grep '\S'

If any lines returned contain "trust" or "password" as an auth-method, this is a finding.

Vulnerability Number

V-259175

Documentable

False

Rule Version

VCPG-80-000036

Severity Override Guidance

At the command prompt, run the following command:

# grep -v "^#" /storage/db/vpostgres/pg_hba.conf |grep '\S'

If any lines returned contain "trust" or "password" as an auth-method, this is a finding.

Check Content Reference

M

Target Key

5570