Server Virtualization Presents New Security Concerns

From malicious hypervisors to live migration impersonators managing server virtualization may need more than traditional security tools. This Computer World report details some of the security issues that need to be considered and offers advice for IT Pros who are making the shift to x86 server virtualization.

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Firewalls and intrusion prevention systems (IPS) may not be enough to defend against malicious hypervisors.

"IT pros tend to look at it this way: Since physical and virtual servers run the same Linux and Windows operating systems on the same hardware, then security for the former is adequate for the latter. 'They'll argue that nothing has changed — and that is a dangerous mistake,' MacDonald says.

"'When you virtualize, you introduce a new layer of software and all of the Windows and Linux workloads running on top of it rely on its integrity. The first and most important thing you need to do is acknowledge this new layer and establish basic security hygiene around the configuration and vulnerability management of it,' MacDonald says. 'That is basic block and tackle.'"

Read the Full "Virtualization's Security Blind Spots" Story at Computer World