vCenter Least Privilege Mode Guide [Comprehensive]

What is Least Privilege Mode in vCenter?

The Least Privilege model is a security principle that grants users and systems only the minimum privileges needed to perform their tasks. This model reduces the attack surface, prevents accidental misconfiguration, and enhances compliance.

Advantages:

• Minimizes the risk of privilege escalation
• Prevents unauthorized changes
• Increases auditability and accountability
• Enhances operational security in shared environments

How to Implement Least Privilege in VMware vCenter

vCenter supports role-based access control (RBAC), which allows administrators to assign specific roles and permissions based on their responsibilities.

Create custom roles – Avoid using the default administrator permissions unless necessary.

Use permission inheritance wisely – Apply permissions at the appropriate object level (e.g., datacenter, virtual machine).

Limit datastore and virtual machine access – Grant access only to necessary resources.

Audit regularly – Use vCenter’s logs and external tools to monitor for excessive or abusive permissions.

AOMEI Cyber Backup: A Least-Privilege Friendly Backup Solution

AOMEI Cyber Backup is a VMware-certified backup tool designed to operate securely in the least privilege environment.

Agentless VM Backup: No agents on each VM – less overhead, more control.
Centralized Dashboard: Manage VMware and Hyper-V backups through an intuitive interface.
Scheduled Backup & Instant Recovery: Automate and streamline operations without elevated permissions.
All-around Data Protection: Flexible backup strategies to create a full backup of the entire VM and an incremental backup to keep tracking the changed data.

Implementing AOMEI Cyber Backup in a vCenter least-privileged environment requires only granting the minimum privileges needed for backup operations, without assigning full administrator privileges. Below is a step-by-step deployment guide with recommended role settings.

Step 1. Create a Dedicated Backup Account

Log in to vCenter Server.

Create a new service account for backup purposes.

Do not assign the Administrator role to this account.

Step 2. Create a Backup Role with Minimum Permissions

Go to Menu > Administration > Role > Add Role.

Then, name the new role, and assign only the necessary permissions for backup and recovery.

📍Tip: Do not assign permissions for network configuration, resource pool management, or host-level control.

Step 3. Assign the Role to Required vCenter Objects

In vCenter, select the object to back up.

Go to the Permissions tab > click Add, select the account you have created, and assign the new role.

Check Propagate to the children to apply the role to sub-objects like VMs.

Step 4. Configure the Account in AOMEI Cyber Backup

Log in to the AOMEI Cyber Backup console.

Navigate to the Source Device to add the vCenter or ESXi host.

Enter the credentials for the backup account.

The system will verify permissions and show accessible VMs and resources.

Step 5. Set Up Backup Tasks and Policies

Navigate to Backup Task > + Create New Task, and select the VMs to backup.

You can set the Task Name, Device, Target, Archive, and Schedule according to your needs.

• Device: Since multiple VMs on the host are covered in a single backup task, you need to select the VMs that need to be backed up.
• Target: You can select to backup to local path, or a network path.
• Schedule: You can choose to perform full, differential, or incremental backups and have them automatically execute daily, weekly, or monthly basis at a frequency you specify.

Step 5. Start the Process

Click Start Backup and select Add the schedule and start backup now, or Add the schedule only.

Conclusion

Implementing a least privilege model in vCenter is an important security measure for any organization using VMware infrastructure. It reduces risk, increases compliance, and strengthens operational integrity. However, critical operations such as virtual machine backup and recovery must also comply with this principle. AOMEI Cyber Backup is a secure, lightweight, and privilege-aware solution that helps you protect virtual machines without compromising the least privilege model.