Information
The CLI command 'vmkfstools --writezeroes' can be used to write zeros to the entire contents of a virtual machine disk (VMDK) file prior to its deletion.
Rationale:
Zeroing out a VMDK file before deleting the file can help prevent users from reconstructing the original contents of the file from the physical storage media.
NOTE: Nessus has not performed this check. Please review the benchmark to ensure target compliance.
Solution
When deleting a VMDK file with sensitive data:
Shut down or stop the virtual machine.
Issue the CLI command 'vmkfstools --writezeroes' on that file prior to deleting it from the datastore.
Impact:
When you use this command, you lose any existing data on the virtual disk.
References:
https://docs.vmware.com/en/VMware-vSphere/6.7/com.vmware.vsphere.storage.doc/GUID-050C0FEE-2C75-4356-B9E0-CC802333FF41.html