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Virtualization Security Ecosystem: A Practitioner's View
23 June 2011
 
Trent Henry  

Machine virtualization is popular and important. Although most organizations deploy additional security technology to protect virtual infrastructure satisfactorily and to answer compliance requirements, the ecosystem of virtualization security (hypervisor platforms, add-on tools, and third-party vendors) is increasingly robust.





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Table of Contents

Contents
  • Summary of Findings
  • Analysis
    • Protection of Virtual Infrastructure: An Architectural View
      • Traditional Security Mechanisms
      • Virtualization Objects and Events to Protect
    • The Concerns
      • Zoning
      • Workloads in Motion
      • Anti-Malware and Patch Management
      • Storage-Layer Security
      • Administrative Privilege Controls
      • Configuration Management
      • Denial-of-Service Controls
    • Vendor Ecosystem
    • Standards Environment
    • Customer Experiences
    • Strengths
    • Weaknesses
  • Recommendations
    • Weigh the Value of the Ecosystem
    • Be Cautious About Hypervisor Isolation, but Recognize That Security Concerns Are Decreasing
    • Prepare for Anomalies in the Future?
    • Be Cautious in the DMZ
    • Reconnect Security Architects and Operations
    • Secure the Control VM
    • Consider All Communication Channels
    • Beware the "VM in Flight" That Crosses (Physical) Borders
    • Ask Third-Party Virtualization Security Vendors A Lot of Questions
  • The Details
    • Vendor Solutions
      • Virtualization Platforms
      • Third Parties
    • Virtualization Security Backgrounder
      • The Benefits of Virtualized Security
      • The Drawbacks of Virtualized Security
  • Recommended Reading
Tables
Table 1.
Apani Capabilities
Table 2.
CA Capabilities
Table 3.
Catbird Capabilities
Table 4.
Check Point Capabilities
Table 5.
Cisco Capabilities
Table 6.
HP Capabilities
Table 7.
HyTrust Capabilities
Table 8.
Juniper Capabilities
Table 9.
McAfee Capabilities
Table 10.
PacketMotion Capabilities
Table 11.
RedCannon Capabilities
Table 12.
Reflex Capabilities
Table 13.
Sourcefire Capabilities
Table 14.
StillSecure Capabilities
Table 15.
Stonesoft Capabilities
Table 16.
Trend Micro Capabilities
Table 17.
Tripwire Capabilities
Figures
Figure 1.
Example OVF Metadata
Figure 2.
Questionable Separation Decisions




Document History:
 
Virtualization Security Ecosystem: A Practitioner's View
23 June 2011
  
Virtualization from the Security Practitioner's Point of View
23 September 2008
  




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