VMware, Vsphere, Hyper-V
Article | May 2, 2023
Analyzing risks and implementing advanced mitigation strategies: Safeguard critical data, fortify defenses, and stay ahead of emerging threats in the dynamic realm of virtual machines in cloud.
Contents
1. Introduction
2. 10 Security Risks Associated with Virtual Machines in Cloud Computing
3. Best Practices to Avoid Security Compromise
4. Conclusion
1. Introduction
Cloud computing has revolutionized the way businesses operate by providing flexible, scalable, and cost-effective infrastructure for running applications and services. Virtual machines (VMs) are a key component of cloud computing, allowing multiple virtual machines to run on a single physical machine. However, the use of virtual machines in cloud computing introduces new security risks that need to be addressed to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data and services.
Effective VM security in the cloud requires a comprehensive approach that involves cloud providers and users working together to identify and address potential virtual machine security threats. By implementing these best practices and maintaining a focus on security, cloud computing can provide a secure and reliable platform for businesses to run their applications and services.
2. 10 Security Risks Associated with Virtual Machines in Cloud Computing
Denial of Service (DoS) attacks: These are attacks that aim to disrupt the availability of a VM or the entire cloud infrastructure by overwhelming the system with traffic or resource requests.
Insecure APIs: Cloud providers often expose APIs that allow users to manage their VMs. If these APIs are not properly secured, attackers can exploit them to gain unauthorized access to VMs or manipulate their configurations.
Data leakage: Virtual machines can store sensitive data such as customer information or intellectual property. If not secured, this data can be exposed to unauthorized access or leakage.
Shared resources: VMs in cloud environments often share physical resources such as memory, CPU, and network interfaces. If these resources are not isolated, a compromised VM can potentially affect the security and performance of other VMs running on the same physical host.
Lack of visibility: Virtual machines in cloud environments can be more difficult to monitor than physical machines. This can make it harder to detect security incidents or anomalous behavior.
Insufficient logging and auditing: If cloud providers do not implement appropriate logging and auditing mechanisms, it can be difficult to determine the cause and scope of a security incident.
VM escape: This is when an attacker gains access to the hypervisor layer and then escapes into the host operating system or other VMs running on the same physical host.
Side-channel attacks: This is when an attacker exploits the physical characteristics of the hardware to gain unauthorized access to a VM. Examples of side-channel attacks include timing attacks, power analysis attacks, and electromagnetic attacks.
Malware attacks: VMs can be infected with malware, just like physical machines. Malware can be used to steal data, launch attacks on other VMs or systems, or disrupt the functioning of the VM.
Insider threats: Malicious insiders can exploit their access to VMs to steal data, modify configurations, or launch attacks.
3. Best Practices to Avoid Security Compromise
To mitigate these risks, there are several virtual machine security guidelines that cloud service providers and users can follow:
Keep software up-to-date: Regularly updating software and security patches for virtual machines is crucial in preventing known vulnerabilities from being exploited by hackers. Software updates fix bugs and security flaws that could allow unauthorized access, data breaches, or malware attacks.
According to a study, 60% of data breaches are caused by vulnerabilities that were not patched or updated in a timely manner.(Source: Ponemon Institute)
Use secure hypervisors: A hypervisor is a software layer that enables multiple virtual machines to run on a single physical server. Secure hypervisors are designed to prevent unauthorized access to virtual machines and protect them from potential security threats. When choosing a hypervisor, it is important to select one that has undergone rigorous testing and meets industry standards for security.
In 2018, a group of researchers discovered a new type of attack called "Foreshadow" (also known as L1 Terminal Fault). The attack exploits vulnerabilities in Intel processors and can be used to steal sensitive data from virtual machines running on the same physical host. Secure hypervisors that have implemented hardware-based security features can provide protection against Foreshadow and similar attacks.
(Source: Foreshadow)
Implement strong access controls: Access control is the practice of restricting access to virtual machines to authorized users. Multi-factor authentication adds an extra layer of security by requiring users to provide more than one type of authentication method before accessing VMs. Strong access controls limit the risk of unauthorized access and can help prevent data breaches.
According to a survey, organizations that implemented multi-factor authentication saw a 98% reduction in the risk of phishing-related account breaches.
(Source: Duo Security)
Monitor VMs for anomalous behavior: Monitoring virtual machines for unusual or unexpected behavior is an essential security practice. This includes monitoring network traffic, processes running on the VM, and other metrics that can help detect potential security incidents. By monitoring VMs, security teams can detect and respond to security threats before they can cause damage.
A study found that 90% of organizations that implemented a virtualized environment experienced security benefits, such as improved visibility into security threats and faster incident response times.
(Source: VMware)
Use Encryption: Encryption is the process of encoding information in such a way that only authorized parties can access it. Encrypting data both in transit and at rest protects it from interception or theft by hackers. This can be achieved using industry-standard encryption protocols and technologies.
According to a report by, the average cost of a data breach in 2020 was $3.86 million. The report also found that organizations that implemented encryption had a lower average cost of a data breach compared to those that did not
(Source: IBM)
Segregate VMs: Segregating virtual machines is the practice of keeping sensitive VMs separate from less sensitive ones. This reduces the risk of lateral movement, which is when a hacker gains access to one VM and uses it as a stepping stone to gain access to other VMs in the same environment. Segregating VMs helps to minimize the risk of data breaches and limit the potential impact of a security incident.
A study found that organizations that implemented a virtualized environment without adequate segregation and access controls were more vulnerable to VM security breaches and data loss.
(Source: Ponemon Institute)
Regularly Back-up VMs: Regularly backing up virtual machines is a critical security practice that can help mitigate the impact of malware attacks, system failures, or other security incidents. Backups should be stored securely and tested regularly to ensure that they can be restored quickly in the event of a security incident.
A survey conducted found that 42% of organizations experienced a data loss event in 2020 with the most common cause being accidental deletion by an employee (29%).
(Source: Veeam)
4. Conclusion
The complexity of cloud environments and the shared responsibility model for security require organizations to adopt a comprehensive security approach that spans multiple infrastructure layers, from the physical to the application layer.
The future of virtual machine security concern in cloud computing will require continued innovation and adaptation to new threats and vulnerabilities. As a result, organizations must remain vigilant and proactive in their security efforts, leveraging the latest technologies and best practices to protect their virtual machines, the sensitive data and resources they contain.
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Server Hypervisors
Article | September 9, 2022
System Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM) is a management tool for Microsoft’s Hyper-V virtualization platform. It is part of Microsoft’s System Center product suite, which also includes Configuration Manager and Operations Manager, among other tools. SCVMM provides a single pane of glass for managing your on-premises and cloud-based Hyper-V infrastructures, and it’s a more capable alternative to Windows Server tools built for the same purpose.
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Virtual Desktop Tools
Article | August 12, 2022
Contents
1. Overview
2. Ethical Hacking and Penetration Testing
3. Metasploit Penetration Test
4. Why Choose Metasploit Framework for your Business?
5. Closing remarks
1. Overview
Metasploitable refers to an intentionally vulnerable virtual machine that enables the learning and practice of Metasploit. Metasploit is one of the best penetration testing frameworks that helps businesses discover and shore up their systems' vulnerabilities before hackers exploit them.
Security engineers use Metasploit as a penetration testing system and a development platform that allows the creation of security tools and exploits. Metasploit's various user interfaces, libraries, tools, and modules allow users to configure an exploit module, pair it with a payload, point it at a target, and launch it at the target system. In addition, Metasploit's extensive database houses hundreds of exploits and several payload options.
2. Ethical Hacking and Penetration Testing
An ethical hacker is one who works within a security framework and checks for bugs that a malicious hacker might use to exploit networks. They use their experience and skills to render the cyber environment. To protect the infrastructure from the threat that hackers pose, ethical hacking is essential. The main purpose of an ethical hacking service is to report and assess the safety of the targeted systems and networks for the owner. Ethical hacking is performed with penetration test techniques to evaluate security loopholes.
There are many techniques used to hack information, such as –
Information gathering
Vulnerability scanning
Exploitation
Test analysis
Ethical hacking involves automatic methods. The hacking process without automated software is inefficient and time-consuming. There are several tools and methods that can be used for ethical hacking and penetration testing. The Metasploit framework eases the effort to exploit vulnerabilities in networks, operating systems, and applications and generates new exploits for new or unknown vulnerabilities.
3. Metasploit Penetration Test
Reconnaissance: Integrate Metasploit with various reconnaissance tools to find the vulnerable spot in the system.
Threat Modeling and Vulnerability Identification: Once a weakness is identified, choose an exploit and payload for penetration.
Exploitation: The payload gets executed at the target if the exploit, a tool used to take advantage of system weakness, is successful, and the user gets a shell for interacting with the payload (a shellcode is a small piece of code used as the payload).The most popular payload, a set of malicious codes to attack Windows systems, is Meterpreter, an in-memory-only interactive shell. (Meterpreter is a Metasploit attack payload that provides an interactive shell for the attacker to explore the target machine and execute code.)Other payloads are:
Static payloads (it enables port forwarding and communications between networks)
Dynamic payloads (to evade antivirus software, it allows testers to generate unique payloads)
Command shell payloads (enables users to run scripts or commands against a host)
Post-Exploitation: Metasploit offers various exploitation tools for privilege escalation, packet sniffing, keyloggers, screen capture, and pivoting tools once on the target machine.
Resolution and Re-Testing: Users set up a persistent backdoor if the target machine gets rebooted.
These available features in Metasploit make it easy to configure as per the user's requirements.
4. Why Choose Metasploit Framework for your Business?
Significant advantages of the Metasploit Framework are discussed below:
Open-source: Metasploit Framework is actively developed as open-source software, so most companies prefer this to grow their businesses.
Easy usage: It is very easy to use, defining an easy-naming conversation with the commands. This also facilitates the building of an extensive penetration test of the network.
GUI Environment: It mainly provides third-party instances that are friendly. These interfaces ease the penetration testing projects by providing the facilities with services such as button clicks, over-the-fly vulnerability management, and easy-to-shift workspaces, among others.
Cleaner Exits: Metasploit can cleanly exit without detection, even if the target system does not restart after a penetration test. Additionally, it offers various options for maintaining persistent access to the target system.
Easy Switching Between Payloads: Metasploit allows testers to change payloads with the 'setpayload' command easily. It offers flexibility for system penetration through shell-based access or meterpreter.
5. Closing remarks
From DevSecOps experts to hackers, everyone uses the Ruby-based open-source framework Metasploit, which allows testing via command-line alterations or GUI. Metasploitable is a vulnerable virtual machine ideally used for ethical hacking and penetration testing, in VM security.
One trend likely to impact the future of Metasploitable is the increasing use of cloud-based environments for testing and production. It is possible that Metasploitable could be adapted to work in cloud environments or that new tools will be developed specifically for cloud-based penetration testing. Another trend that may impact the future of Metasploitable is the growing importance of automation in security testing. Thus, Metasploitable could be adapted to include more automation features.
The future of Metasploitable looks bright as it continues to be a valuable tool for security professionals and enthusiasts. As the security landscape continues to evolve, it will be interesting to see how Metasploitable adapts to meet the community's changing needs.
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VMware, Vsphere, Hyper-V
Article | May 2, 2023
Virtualization has become integral to modern computing, enabling organizations to optimize their resources and increase efficiency. Following are the upcoming events taking place in France, China, USA, Netherlands, and Germany, from April 2023 to December 2023. Let's take a closer look at each of these events and know what attendees can expect to gain from them.
The following events will provide insight into the growing impact of virtualization on upcoming as well as established organizations. The renowned speakers in the following events will give economic value to the concept of virtualization and how it can transform business operations. By attending these events, participants will gain a deeper understanding of the latest trends, technologies, and strategies in virtualization, as well as the potential benefits and challenges associated with its implementation.
1. 18th Workshop on Virtualization in High-Performance Cloud Computing
May 25, 2023 | Hamburg (Germany)
The VHPC workshop at the International Supercomputing Conference - High Performance 2023 invites researchers and industrial practitioners to submit original and high-quality papers on virtualization in HPC, containers, virtualization, and cloud computing. The workshop will cover a broad range of topics related to virtualization, including virtualization for scientific computing and big data analytics, virtualization for high-performance computing and data centers, and virtualization for edge, fog computing, and more. The workshop will provide a forum for researchers to present their latest research findings, share ideas, and collaborate on new research directions.
2. VMware Explore 2023
August 5-10, 2023 | Nevada (USA)
The VMware Explore 2023 conference is a specialized event focusing on virtualization and cloud computing technologies for data centers and virtual workspace infrastructure. It will cover topics on cloud & edge infrastructure, networking & security, modern applications & cloud management, hybrid workforce, vision & innovation. VMware Explore 2023 will host a community of technology users and leaders involved in enterprise applications, cloud architecture, infrastructure, end users, networking, and security.
3. Data Center World
May 8 - 11, 2023 | Texas (USA)
This is the only global event that brings together the entire data center industry, making it the go-to resource for anybody looking to optimize their data center strategy. Data Center World is the premier event for digital infrastructure, that will cater to the needs of data center managers, IT executives, and the pioneers who will shape the future of the digital sector. The technologies and concepts for designing, managing, and optimizing data centers will be presented at the event, along with expert advice and guidance.
4. The Fourteenth International Conference on Cloud Computing, GRIDs, and Virtualization
June 26 - 30, 2023 | Saint-Laurent-du-Var (France)
The Fourteenth International Conference on Cloud Computing, GRIDs, and Virtualization is an upcoming conference that will provide a forum for researchers and practitioners to present and discuss the latest research, trends & practical applications in cloud computing, grids, and virtualization. The conference will cover various topics related to these fields, including cloud security and privacy, cloud storage, cloud economics, and more. The conference will provide a platform for attendees to discuss emerging trends, challenges, and opportunities in these fields, as well as present their research findings and insights.
5. Knowledge 2023
May 16 - 18, 2023 | Las Vegas (United States)
The event is organized by ServiceNow, which provides cloud-based IT service management, IT operations management, and IT business management solutions. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Bill McDermott will deliver the opening keynote address. The event will include a wide range of sessions: Hands-on Labs, Presentations from Experts, Art of the Possible HackZone Demo, Annual Hackathon, Community Meetups, challenges, and more. Attendees will be able to connect with visionaries worldwide and gain new ServiceNow skills and fresh insights into the power of digital transformation.
6. 2023 5TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON HARDWARE SECURITY AND TRUST (ICHST 2023)
July 8 - 10, 2023 | Wuxi (China)
The 5th International Conference on Hardware Security and Trust (ICHST 2023) will serve as a workshop for ICSIP 2023 and is sponsored by Southeast University, China, with co-sponsorship from Southeast University Wuxi Campus and the School of Cyber Science and Engineering. ICHST is an annual symposium that will seek to promote the rapid growth of hardware-based security research and development. It will focus on presenting new findings in hardware and system security, covering topics such as secure hardware techniques, tools, design and test methods, architectures, circuits, and applications.
7. .NEXT
May 9 - 10, 2023 | Chicago (USA)
.NEXT conference is a series of annual events organized by Nutanix, a cloud computing and hyper-converged infrastructure company. It will cover fascinating insights about new work, global supply chains, utopian visions, the metaverse and Web3, smart technology, intelligence, and many more. The conference will typically feature keynote presentations, technical sessions, and hands-on labs focused on cloud computing, data center infrastructure, and digital transformation. Attendees will also be able to experience test-drive demos.
8. Wan Summit: Enterprise Networks Chicago
September 28, 2023 | Chicago (USA)
Connectivity infrastructure is the main topic of discussion at WAN Summit, an invitation-only conference for network and engineering professionals shaping the future of the workplace. In order to help businesses, provide a better experience for their customers, the WAN Summit will discuss the issues that persist in the networking department. The event will have sessions as network manager focus, enterprise case studies, exhibition and networking drinks reception, and so on.
9. Black Hat USA
August 5 -10, 2023 | Nevada (USA)
This year marks the 26th annual Black Hat USA conference, which will be held at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas. Attendees of all experience levels can participate in four days of intensive cybersecurity training. More than a hundred carefully-chosen briefings, hundreds of open-source tool demonstrations in Arsenal, a robust business hall, networking and social events, and much more will fill the two days of the main conference. This year, Black Hat will also debut a live, in-person Certification program that will last for a whole day.
10. Gartner IT Symposium | Xpo
October 16 -19, 2023 | Orlando (USA)
The strategic concerns of enterprise CIOs and their executive teams are the focus of the Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo. At the Gartner IT Symposium, a worldwide network of experts and peers will talk about game-changing innovations. Chief Information Officers and other IT executives will discuss the latest developments in the fields of accelerating business transformation, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, customer experience, data analytics, executive leadership, and many other topics that will shape the future of IT and business.
11. Container Days
September 11 -13, 2023 | Hamburg (Germany)
An amazing learning experience on Kubernetes, Cloud Native, Container Security, DevOps, GitOps, Edge Computing, and more is available at CDS, where the CDS family increases yearly. Global tycoons will gather in person and online to share insights, make connections, and do business. Opportunities to meet like-minded people and open discussion forums are favorites among open-source and cloud-native project fans. More in-depth technical presentations and engaging panel discussions will be live across five stages this year.
12. Big Data Expo
September 12 - 13, 2023 | Utrecht (Netherlands)
Supply and demand in the big data industry are finally brought together at Big Data Expo. This is the only conference in the Benelux region covering every data management facet. Exhibitors are prioritized who regularly engage in data aggregation, generation, analysis, optimization, and application across a variety of scales and contexts. The two-day conference will cover various topics, from cloud computing and data visualization to data security and machine learning/artificial intelligence. If you're interested in data, the Big Data Expo is the place to be.
13. Red Hat Summit
May 23 - 25, 2023 | Massachusetts (USA)
The seminars, workshops, demos, laboratories, and training opportunities at Red Hat Summit 2023 in Boston (Massachusetts), will be invaluable to the individuals and their teams. In addition, this year's event will be held in conjunction with AnsibleFest, adding automation to the diverse mix of offerings that are used to address a world of IT challenges, in addition to keynotes, customer and partner stories, topics, and tracks designed to help you make the most of hybrid cloud technology. Participants will be able to watch or rewatch major announcements and view dozens of new sessions and recorded sessions from Boston—at no cost to you.
14. TechNet Cyber 2023
May 2 -4, 2023 | Baltimore convention center, Maryland (USA)
TechNet Cyber is the best chance to showcase products & services to the nation's top network security, operations, and defense decision-makers. The U.S. Defense Information Systems Agency is always on the lookout for fresh concepts to help standardize and streamline cyber operations throughout the Department of Defense and the armed forces' various components. To tackle global security concerns and successfully function in a digital world, AFCEA's TechNet Cyber acts as a focal point for a government-wide effort to consolidate the policy, strategic architecture, operations, and C2, as well as the combined capabilities necessary to do so.
15. IEEE International Conference On Smart Information Systems and Technologies
May 4 - 6, 2023 | Scientific Society (Kazakhstan)
The 2023 IEEE SIST International Conference, technically co-sponsored by the IEEE Ukraine Section, is an essential event in the scientific society of Kazakhstan. Professionals, researchers, scientists, specialists, and students from a unique opportunity for participants to expand their knowledge and various areas of the IT industry from around the globe will attend this conference. The conference will offer perspectives on specific topics, and contribute to finding solutions to current IT trends. Additionally, the conference will be covering several research areas, including technology and engineering management, governance, finance, economy, and more.
Conclusion
The events will help organizations capitalize on the opportunities presented by virtualization and remain ahead of the curve in today's rapidly evolving digital landscape. The purpose of the events is to facilitate collaboration, the exchange of knowledge, and the discussion of innovative solutions for virtualized computing systems of the future.
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