kevmap

TechniquesT1573.002 › AN1499

AN1499 Analytic 1499

ESXi · attack.mitre.org · ATT&CK Enterprise v19.2

<p>VMware services (hostd, vpxa) unexpectedly negotiating asymmetric crypto sessions to external endpoints outside vCenter or update servers. Defender sees encrypted handshakes in logs inconsistent with baseline ESXi communication patterns.</p>
Detects
T1573.002 Asymmetric Cryptography
Part of
DET0543 Detection Strategy for Encrypted Channel via Asymmetric Cryptography across OS Platforms

Log sources and channels

Exactly as MITRE states them in x_mitre_log_source_references. Where a channel is vague, it is vague in the source; kevmap does not tidy it.

Log sourceChannelData component
esxi:vpxdESXi process initiating asymmetric handshake with external hostDC0038 Application Log Content
esxcli:networkSocket inspection showing RSA key exchange outside baseline endpointsDC0085 Network Traffic Content

Mutable elements

Parameters MITRE marks as environment-specific. These are the knobs you are expected to tune; they are why an analytic is not a rule.

FieldDescription
BaselineMgmtHostsExpected external endpoints (vCenter, update repos).