Securing Virtual Machines

Virtualized Server Security Virtualized servers are faced with similar security concerns as their physical counterparts. The only difference is that virtualized servers have other threats that are specific to virtualized machines. Virtualization is a new technology, and with any new technology, there are new threats and security concerns that will accompany it. When compared to its physical counterparts, virtualized servers are more prone to threats because they are clustered. If one virtual server is attacked, the other virtual servers are most likely to be faced with the same attack.

Some of the risks faced by the virtual server can be mitigated through effective and efficient planning. Lack of information security team The failure to involve the information security team in the initial planning and architecture stages would result in security threats to the virtualized servers. The organization could have a secure physical server and would be extending the capabilities of its physical server, but the failure to conduct, and effectively planning would make the virtualized server prone to attacks (Luo, Lin, Chen, Yang, & Chen, 2011).

With a virtual server, there is a new layer of software that is added and this new layer should be closely analyzed to determine it would not leave the server vulnerable. A vulnerable virtual machine could lead to the attack of the other virtual machines on the same host. Attackers can gain access to the host machine by exploiting the memory space of the shared devices. In case of an attack to the hypervisor, then all the virtual machines running on the host would be compromised.

An organization should ensure that it does not just migrate its physical server to a virtual server before due diligence is conducted. There is need to consult and involve information security experts to ensure that the implementation is well planned and executed. The virtualization layer is faced with other vulnerabilities that are yet to be discovered. Hackers have been targeting this layer in order to compromise the security of the virtual machine.

An attack on this layer would compromise all the virtual servers, which makes it critical to the success of the implementation. The information security team would conduct an analysis and offer advice on the best way to implement and secure the virtual server. The analysis would include a plan to mitigate the potential risks that the virtual server would be faced with. Knowing the potential risks faced by the virtual machine would allow the organization to plan on how to mitigate the risks.

It is virtually impossible to manage a risk that cannot be acknowledged and communicated. The security processes of the organization should be extended instead of buying more security. Traditional threats Virtual servers are still vulnerable to legacy viruses, malware infection, rootkits, key loggers, and Trojans (Jing, Hao, & Songlin, 2012). Like physical servers, the virtual machines should be guarded against the traditional threats.

The IT team should ensure that all virtual machines hosted at the same location are well secure since a vulnerability of one could result in risks for the others. An infected virtual machine can attack other virtual machines and its host, as well as other physical server sharing the same network. A single attack can result in the crippling of the whole network. The virtual machines attack can cripple the whole organization and result in data loss.

The security of a single virtual machine is critical for the security of the whole organization. The same team should handle the responsibility of securing the virtual server across the organization. Physical servers have individual IP addresses, but virtual machines constantly change their IP addresses. The continuous creation, merging, and retiring of virtual machines results in the change of IP addresses. The continuous change means that firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and VLANs have problems securing the virtual machine.

These protection systems offers security based on the physical location of the server, which is determined by the servers IP address. A change in the IP address would mean that the firewall would not manage to offer protection. Server management With physical servers, there are designated persons responsible for the managing the servers. When it comes to virtual machines, the line is a bit unclear. The virtual machines belong to individual departments within the organization.

The virtual machines will have specific information regarding a single department, and the IT team would only be responsible for creating and managing the host machine. There is a need for a clear policy that indicates the people responsible and the roles they play. This would ensure that there is a person charged with managing the virtual machines and monitoring the activity of each machine. In order to prevent an attack, there should be a dedicated person who is charged with updating and administrating the virtual machine.

Securing the virtual machines would be the responsibility of this individual and they would be.