Suspicious vCenter VAMI SSH Enable via appliance access API

PremiumReviewedSigma · High · v1
Category
webserver
Author
HuntRule
Published
2026-10-13
Updated
2026-10-13

ATT&CK techniques

Initial Access → Lateral Movement
  1. Recon

  2. Resource Dev

  3. Execution

  4. Persistence

  5. Priv Esc

  6. Defense Evasion

  7. Cred Access

  8. Discovery

  9. Lateral Movement

  10. Collection

  11. C2

  12. Exfiltration

  13. Impact

What it detects

This rule detects an HTTP PUT to the vCenter VAMI endpoint /rest/appliance/access/ssh on management port 5480, matching BRICKSTORM activity that re-enables SSH on the appliance to gain shell access. Turning on this remote-access channel supports stealthy lateral movement and backdoor deployment across the virtualization estate.

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Suspicious vCenter VAMI SSH Enable via appliance access API
Pivot detection · T1190 · 9 related

Detection content is published as a reviewed draft. Tune thresholds and exclusions against your own telemetry before enabling this rule for alerting.