VCP-VVF IT Architectures Technologies Standards Practice Question
An infrastructure architect is designing a secure vSphere Foundation 9.0 environment and needs to enforce a strict zero-trust posture for ESXi host shells. Which standard configuration should be applied to ESXi local and remote shells?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Disable ESXi Shell (TSM) and SSH (TSM-SSH) services by default, enabling them only temporarily during active troubleshooting.
Best practice security hardening dictates that SSH (TSM-SSH) and the ESXi Shell (TSM) should be disabled when not actively in use, and idle timeout intervals should be enforced.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Configure SSH to permit root login using unencrypted password authentication over the public internet.
Why it's wrong here
Permitting unencrypted root login over the internet is a severe security violation.
- ✓
Disable ESXi Shell (TSM) and SSH (TSM-SSH) services by default, enabling them only temporarily during active troubleshooting.
Why this is correct
Correct. Keeping administrative shells disabled reduces the host attack surface until needed for troubleshooting.
- ✗
Replace the ESXi shell binary with an unauthenticated Telnet daemon.
Why it's wrong here
Telnet is unencrypted and insecure.
- ✗
Grant permanent shell access to all domain user accounts.
Why it's wrong here
Shell access should be restricted strictly to administrative personnel.
About these practice questions
One of 517 original VCP-VVF practice questions on Courseiva, each with a full explanation and wrong-answer analysis — not exam dumps or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed August 2026 · checked against the official VMware exam blueprint
This VCP-VVF practice question is part of Courseiva's free VMware certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the VCP-VVF exam.