Active Connections

Overview

Evidence: Active Connections
Description: List active TCP/IP connections
Category: Network
Platform: esxi
Short Name: aconns
Is Parsed: Yes
Sent to Investigation Hub: Yes
Collect File(s): No

Background

Active TCP/IP connections on ESXi hosts reveal network communication between the hypervisor and external systems, including management interfaces, storage networks, and VM traffic. This data is crucial for identifying unauthorized network access and detecting lateral movement.

Data Collected

This collector gathers structured data about active connections.

Active Connections Data

Field	Description	Example
AccessTime	Access Time	2023-10-15 14:30:25+03:00
AccessCount	Access Count	123
URL	URL	Example value
Browser	Browser	Example value
Title	Title	Example value
VisitDuration	Visit Duration	Example value
Referrer	Referrer	Example value
TypedCount	Typed Count	123
IsHidden	Is Hidden	true
TransitionType	Transition Type	Example value
VisitID	Visit ID	123
TransitionQualifiers	Transition Qualifiers	Example value
User	User	Example value
Profile	Profile	Example value
HistoryFilePath	History File Path	Example value

Collection Method

This collector parses the output of ‘esxcli network ip connection list’ command, extracting protocol type, send/receive queue sizes, local and foreign addresses with ports, connection states, world IDs, congestion control algorithms, and associated world names for each active connection.

Forensic Value

Network connection data exposes active communication channels, potentially revealing backdoors, C2 connections, unauthorized management access, or suspicious inter-host communication. Analyzing connection states, world names, and remote endpoints helps investigators detect malicious network activity and trace attacker movements.