Essential tools and commands for VMware vulnerability scanning
VMware environments require specialized tools and commands for effective vulnerability scanning. Here is an overview of the leading tools, commands, and best practices for detecting security gaps in ESXi hosts, vCenter, and VMware Tools in 2025.
Top Vulnerability Scanning Tools
- Tenable Nessus: Powerful for scanning VMware ESXi hosts and virtual machines, Nessus supports over 100,000 vulnerability checks. It integrates with on-prem and cloud workloads, producing detailed reports on known and zero-day exposures.
- Qualys VMDR/Cloud Agent: Qualys offers agent-based and agentless vulnerability detection. The Cloud Agent runs on virtual machines, continuously reporting back on software versions, open ports, and configuration weaknesses. It promptly identifies systems affected by new CVEs and is widely praised for minimal performance impact.
- Rapid7 InsightVM: This tool uses lightweight endpoint agents and integrates with IT ticketing systems for vulnerability tracking and remediation. Its live dashboards provide visual tracking of risk posture and remediation progress across VMware infrastructure.
- runZero: Especially useful for asset discovery of VMware installations, runZero provides queries to locate vulnerable ESXi, Workstation, and Fusion machines using detailed version filters in its inventory system.
Built-in VMware Commands for Security Checks
- esxcli: The ESXi command-line tool suite includes several options for host verification and patch status, including:
- esxcli software vib list: Displays installed VIBs (VMware Installation Bundles) and versions, allowing to check for outdated components.
- esxcli system settings kernel list: Verifies Secure Boot and exec-installed-only status, important settings for ransomware mitigation.
- PowerCLI: VMware’s PowerShell module allows administrators to script compliance checks with commands like:
- Get-VMHost | Get-VMHostPatch: Lists the patch status of all connected hosts.
- Custom scripts can pull vulnerability data using REST APIs for integration with Nessus, Qualys, or InsightVM.
- Lifecycle Manager (vLCM): For vCenter environments, vLCM assesses host compliance against known baselines and triggers vulnerability remediation workflows automatically.
Third-Party and Automated Scanning
- Nessus and Qualys can scan ESXi as custom Linux/UNIX targets or using specific VMware plugins, but ensure that scan policies and credential methods are tailored to the hypervisor for accuracy. Running generic scans may generate false positives, so always use vendor-provided templates.
- For API-based version fingerprinting, use modules like the Metasploit auxiliary/scanner/vmware/esx_fingerprint to enumerate the ESXi version and reveal exposure to specific CVE advisories.
Example runZero Queries for Vulnerable VMware Assets
To filter for vulnerable ESXi hosts:
os:"vmware esxi" AND (os_version:<6 OR (os_version:>6 AND os_version:<"6.7.0 build-24514018") OR (os_version:>7 AND os_version:<"7.0.3 build-24585291") OR (os_version:>8 AND os_version:<"8.0.2") OR (os_version:>"8.0.2" AND os_version:<"8.0.2 build-24585300") OR (os_version:>"8.0.3" AND os_version:<"8.0.3 build-24585383"))[web:41]
To find Workstation and Fusion installations by version:
vendor:vmware AND ((product:Workstation AND version:<17.6.3) OR (product:Fusion AND version:<13.6.3))[web:41]
Best Practices
- Always validate results from external scanners with VMware’s own advisories and patch recommendations to avoid downtime from unnecessary remediations.
- Schedule vulnerability scans during maintenance windows to avoid impact on performance.
- Use Secure Boot and execInstalledOnly kernel settings for extra protection against bootkits and post-exploit persistence.
These tools and commands provide multi-layered coverage so organizations can quickly identify and remediate VMware vulnerabilities, reducing exposure to ransomware and targeted attacks throughout 2025.
How to automate vulnerability scanning for VMware assets.
Automating vulnerability scanning for VMware assets can be achieved using dedicated security platforms, built-in VMware orchestration, and scripting with APIs for regular and scalable assessments.
Security Platforms for Automated Scanning
- Tenable Nessus Professional and Qualys VMDR: These are widely used for automated vulnerability discovery across ESXi hosts, vCenter environments, and VMs. Schedule regular authenticated scans using service accounts for in-depth enumeration.
- Integrate with SIEM, ticketing, and endpoint security tools so vulnerabilities flow into remediation pipelines automatically.
- Configure Nessus to use SOAP API authentication for ESXi, which enables scriptable, scheduled scan jobs without manual SSH logins.
- Rapid7 InsightVM: This platform delivers automated, agent-based scans, real-time dashboards, and SLA-driven remediation workflows. Asset discovery and prioritization with AI scoring allows security staff to focus on critical exposures automatically.
- Dynatrace VSPM and Runecast Analyzer: These tools integrate directly with vCenter for asset-wide security posture management, providing automated compliance checks, patch status, and vulnerability remediation.
Using PowerShell and API Scripting
- Deploy PowerCLI scripts to enumerate patch status and configuration compliance, then trigger scans via security platform APIs. For example:
# Connect to vCenter and get patch status
Connect-VIServer -Server "yourvcenter.domain"
Get-VMHost | Get-VMHostPatch
# Export results to CSV for scheduled scan analysis
- Use vendor APIs (Nessus, Qualys, InsightVM) for automated scan runs, asset onboarding, and alerting, orchestrated via cron jobs or enterprise automation frameworks.
Orchestrated VMware Lifecycle Manager Scans
- Set compliance baselines and schedule regular health checks with Lifecycle Manager (vLCM) in vCenter.
- Non-compliant hosts can be flagged, reported, and patched in automated rolling update cycles.
Best Practices for Reliable Automation
- Discover assets automatically using tools like runZero or native vSphere inventory scans, then register them for scanning on a rolling schedule.
- Integrate with ITSM platforms to automatically create remediation tickets for discovered vulnerabilities.
- Use webhooks and cloud automation to trigger new scans when VMware releases advisories or in response to SIEM alerts.
Automated vulnerability scanning makes it easy to maintain secure VMware environments throughout infrastructure changes, reducing the risk of zero-day exploitation and improving operational efficiency for IT and security teams.
Automate patch deployment after vulnerability detection in VMware
Automating patch deployment after vulnerability detection in VMware environments is best achieved using vSphere Lifecycle Manager (vLCM), PowerCLI scripting, and integrations with security and orchestration platforms.
Using vSphere Lifecycle Manager (vLCM)
- vLCM is designed to automate compliance scanning and patch remediation for entire clusters or selected hosts.
- The typical workflow begins with automated compliance scans to detect vulnerable or out-of-date hosts, followed by scheduled patch remediation.
- During remediation, vLCM uses VMware DRS and vMotion to migrate VMs off hosts, applies patches (OS, firmware, and drivers), reboots with Quick Boot, and returns the host online ensuring minimal downtime and optimal workload placement.
- vLCM supports scheduled remediation windows, so patching occurs automatically during off-peak hours or maintenance windows, reducing manual effort.
Automating Patch Deployment via REST API
- vLCM exposes REST APIs to initiate cluster-level or selective host patching directly from automation tools or CI/CD pipelines.
- The “Apply Clusters Software Task API” can be invoked via scripting (PowerShell, Python, URL) and accepts a set of host IDs, enabling full automation of patch workflows.
- You can orchestrate automated patch cycles based on compliance alerts, scan findings, or scheduled tasks in tools like Ansible, vRealize Automation, or GitHub Actions.
PowerCLI Scripting for Patch Automation
- PowerCLI allows admins to automate patching with scripts that cycle hosts through maintenance mode, apply patch baselines, and monitor completion events.
Example:
Connect-VIServer -Server 'your.vcenter.server'
$hosts = Get-VMHost
foreach ($host in $hosts) {
Set-VMHost -VMHost $host -State Maintenance
Install-VMHostPatch -VMHost $host -Baseline 'Critical Patches'
Set-VMHost -VMHost $host -State Connected
}
- Scripts can be run standalone or triggered after vulnerability detection, integrating with SIEM/ITSM systems for ticket updates or notifications.
Integrating Security Tools & Patch Managers
- Solutions like Qualys and ManageEngine support automated patch deployment, linking scan findings directly to remediation actions and offering scheduling, reporting, and rollback features.
- These tools use agents or APIs to detect missing patches and apply relevant updates across VMware workloads in bulk, minimizing manual intervention.
Best Practices
- Always test patch automation in a staging environment before running it in production.
- Define clear patch windows and automation policies within vLCM to align updates with business requirements.
- Integrate notifications and audit logging to monitor patch events for compliance and operational tracking.
By combining native VMware automation (vLCM, PowerCLI) with external orchestration and security management solutions, IT teams can ensure rapid, error-free patch coverage across VMware infrastructure after vulnerability detection.
Monitor patch deployment progress and compliance in VMware clusters
Monitoring patch deployment progress and compliance in VMware clusters is streamlined with vSphere Lifecycle Manager (vLCM) and supplemented by PowerCLI scripts and compliance scheduling.
Monitoring with vSphere Lifecycle Manager (vLCM)
- vLCM provides a centralized view of patch status for all hosts in a cluster. After launching remediation, administrators can track progress for each host from the vSphere Client interface under the “Updates” section. Hosts are shown as Pending, In Progress, Remediated, or with Error status if remediation fails.
- The compliance dashboard compares hosts against the configured desired image (includes ESXi version, firmware, drivers) and displays compliance state: Compliant, Non-compliant, or Unknown.
- Pending hosts automatically enter maintenance mode, and VMs are evacuated using DRS/vMotion, so live progress is visible directly in the vLCM cluster view.
Scheduled and Manual Compliance Checks
- Compliance checks can be run manually or scheduled for hosts and clusters against host profiles or desired images. Results identify configuration drift, missing patches, and provide remediation actions for non-compliant hosts.
- In vSphere Client, schedule recurring compliance checks via Policies and Profiles > Host Profiles > Monitor > Scheduled Tasks, with notification options to alert admins after completion.
PowerCLI for Advanced Monitoring
- PowerCLI scripts can report patch status, compliance, and update history across many hosts. For example:
Connect-VIServer -Server 'your.vcenter.server'
Get-VMHost | Select Name, Version, Build
Get-ESXCli -VMHost $host | % { $_.software.vib.list() }
- Export results to CSV or integrate with SIEM/monitoring tools for automated compliance reporting and dashboarding.
Audit and Notification
- vLCM and vSphere Client provide logs and notifications for patch events, failures, and completed remediations.
- Integrate with email or ITSM systems for real-time alerts on compliance failures or patch completion, aiding audit and regulatory reporting.
Using these tools and workflows, administrators can systematically track patch deployment progress and ensure clusters remain compliant with the latest VMware baseline or desired image crucial for both security and operational stability.
Explore Latest VMware Security Advisories and remediation details :
VMware Security Advisory VMSA-2025-0016: Critical Security Updates for VMware vCenter and NSX
