Virtualization allows multiple operating systems to run simultaneously on a single computer through virtual machines. There are security risks to virtualization including compromise of the virtualization layer which could impact all virtual machines, lack of visibility into internal virtual networks, mixing virtual machines of different trust levels on a single physical server, and lack of access controls on the hypervisor layer. Security teams must be involved in virtualization projects from the beginning to help address these risks.

1. Virtualization Security
By
Ahmed Adel Nour

2. What is Server virtualization?
Is an architecture that allows you to run multiple operating system
simultaneously on a single computer. Each copy of an operating system is
installed on its own virtual machine

3. Host Operating system-based
virtualization (OS virtualization)
In this type the software is installed and runs as an application running on the top
of a Host Operating system (Windows – Linux) examples of this type (VMware
Workstation).

4. Bare-metal Hypervisor
In this model the virtualization layer is installed directly on a clean x86-
based system . Because it has a direct access to the hardware resources,
rather than going through the operating system , a hypervisor (or also
called virtual machine manager (VMM)) is more efficient than a hosted
architecture and delivers grater scalability , robustness and performance
Fig 1.3 . In most cases we use Type two : Bare-metal Hypervisor , in
which we deploy the Hypervisor in some physical machines allow us to
build or environment

5. Why Virtualization ?
• Server consolidation and Improve Server
Hardware Utilization.

6. Why Virtualization ?
• Reduce the Power Consumption and Cooling
in Data Centers (Green-IT)

7. Why Virtualization ?
Reduce the IT Cost

8. Virtualization Security Risks
Information Security Isn't Initially Involved in
the Virtualization Projects
Many Migration projects done without the
involving the security teams in the
organizations because of many aspects . one
of it that the virtualization is only a
consolidation of the existing physical servers
to new virtual ones the whole story that I
need more space in the Data center , why I
should evolve the security team ?
The answer is WRONG, security team must be
evolved because of this team always
responsible for the securing every point in the
data center from the design phase till the
implementation and operation.

9. Virtualization Security Risks
A Compromise of the Virtualization Layer (VMM or
Hypervisor ) Could Result in the Compromise of All
Hosted Virtual machines .
As you can see in the common for all the hosted
virtual machines is the hypervisor , don’t forget
that this is a piece of software , written by
human . it could have problems in the code , it
could have vulnerabilities, it could be affected
with viruses or worms etc. .. This layer must be
secure. In fact this layer is the most dangerous
layer in the architecture, if an attacker can gain
access to this layer so easily he can gain access
to all the Virtual machines hosted in this
physical server.
This layer should be hardened, patched, have an
updated antivirus, Monitored all the time.

10. Virtualization Security Risks
The Lack of Visibility and Controls on Internal Virtual
Networks Created for VM-to-VM Communications
Blinds Existing Security Policy Enforcement
Mechanisms
The Switches connecting the virtual machines between
the same physical servers is a software switch and suffer
from the lake of manageability. Also the traditional IPS
and IDS cannot monitor this internal Traffic. This lead to
make this part of network to be hidden. and of course
any attack could happened in this part .
the solution for this risk could be in placing a virtual
firewall and IPS in every Virtual machine. It cause a
management overhead and expensive but the other
one is to redirect all the traffic from each Virtual
machine to the external network which contains the IPS
to inspect and then move it back to the other virtual
machine in the same physical server .

11. Virtualization Security Risks
Virtual machines of Different Trust Levels Are
Consolidated onto a Single Physical Server without
Sufficient Separation.
The famous security model is that we consolidate
the servers with the same Trust level in one zone
and apply the prober security policy on it . In
virtualization we have a problem, virtual
machines can move from one physical server to
another depending upon the performance and
resource utilization . Now we don't have barriers.
At least separate the virtual environment as we
use in the normal one . Make some physical
servers for each zone you have .

12. Virtualization Security Risks
Lack of Access Control on the hypervisor layer.
To access the hypervisor layer gives you the
all access to everything in this layer.
Network, security countermeasures , virtual
machines etc ..
So you need to secure this access, try to find
a suitable package for access control, ensure
suitable password policy . try to stop
insecure access means such as remote login.