Prevent the AppleTalk protocol from loading on VMware Aria appliances by default. Potential attackers might exploit this protocol to compromise your system.

Avoid loading the AppleTalk Protocol module unless it is necessary. Binding this protocol to the network stack increases the attack surface of the host. Unprivileged local processes might cause the system to dynamically load a protocol handler by using the protocol to open a socket.

Procedure

  1. Open the /etc/modprobe.d/modprobe.conf file in a text editor.
  2. Ensure that the line install appletalk /bin/false appears in this file.
  3. Save the file and close it.