The 'ESXi Lockdown Mode Disabled' detection rule identifies when Lockdown Mode on an ESXi host is disabled, potentially signaling an attempt by threat actors to weaken security protocols. Lockdown Mode is a vital security feature that restricts access to the ESXi host's management interfaces, including SSH and the host client. Disabling it exposes the host to broader remote access, which can lead to various malicious activities, such as lateral movement, data exfiltration, or tampering with virtual machines (VMs). This detection leverages syslog data from VMWare ESXi, filtering for specific messages indicating a change in Lockdown Mode status. Administrators can implement this detection by ensuring proper syslog configurations and utilizing the Splunk Technology Add-on for VMWare ESXi Logs. It is noted that while there are few false positive instances, tuning may be necessary based on the specific environment.