Securing The Virtual Environment

A step-by-step guide to identifying and defending against attacks on the virtual environment As more and more data is moved into virtual environments the need to secure them becomes increasingly important. Useful for service providers as well as enterprise and small business IT professionals the book offers a broad look across virtualization used in various industries as well as a narrow view of vulnerabilities unique to virtual environments. A companion DVD is included with recipes and testing scripts. Examines the difference in a virtual model versus traditional computing models and the appropriate technology and procedures to defend it from attack Dissects and exposes attacks targeted at the virtual environment and the steps necessary for defense Covers information security in virtual environments: building a virtual attack lab, finding leaks, getting a side-channel, denying or compromising services, abusing the hypervisor, forcing an interception, and spreading infestations Accompanying DVD includes hands-on examples and code This how-to guide arms IT managers, vendors, and architects of virtual environments with the tools they need to protect against common threats.

Securing virtual environments for VMware, Citrix, and Microsoft hypervisors Virtualization changes the playing field when it comes to security. There are new attack vectors, new operational patterns and complexity, and changes in IT architecture and deployment life cycles. What's more, the technologies, best practices, and strategies used for securing physical environments do not provide sufficient protection for virtual environments. This book includes step-by-step configurations for the security controls that come with the three leading hypervisor--VMware vSphere and ESXi, Microsoft Hyper-V on Windows Server 2008, and Citrix XenServer. Includes strategy for securely implementing network policies and integrating virtual networks into the existing physical infrastructure Discusses vSphere and Hyper-V native virtual switches as well as the Cisco Nexus 1000v and Open vSwitch switches Offers effective practices for securing virtual machines without creating additional operational overhead for administrators Contains methods for integrating virtualization into existing workflows and creating new policies and processes for change and configuration management so that virtualization can help make these critical operations processes more effective This must-have resource offers tips and tricks for improving disaster recovery and business continuity, security-specific scripts, and examples of how Virtual Desktop Infrastructure benefits security.

Complete Hands-On Help for Securing VMware vSphere and Virtual Infrastructure by Edward Haletky, Author of the Best Selling Book on VMware, VMware ESX Server in the Enterprise As VMware has become increasingly ubiquitous in the enterprise, IT professionals have become increasingly concerned about securing it. Now, for the first time, leading VMware expert Edward Haletky brings together comprehensive guidance for identifying and mitigating virtualization-related security threats on all VMware platforms, including the new cloud computing platform, vSphere. This book reflects the same hands-on approach that made Haletky’s VMware ESX Server in the Enterprise so popular with working professionals. Haletky doesn’t just reveal where you might be vulnerable; he tells you exactly what to do and how to reconfigure your infrastructure to address the problem. VMware vSphere and Virtual Infrastructure Security begins by reviewing basic server vulnerabilities and explaining how security differs on VMware virtual servers and related products. Next, Haletky drills deep into the key components of a VMware installation, identifying both real and theoretical exploits, and introducing effective countermeasures. Coverage includes • Viewing virtualization from the attacker’s perspective, and understanding the new security problems it can introduce • Discovering which security threats the vmkernel does (and doesn’t) address • Learning how VMsafe enables third-party security tools to access the vmkernel API • Understanding the security implications of VMI, paravirtualization, and VMware Tools • Securing virtualized storage: authentication, disk encryption, virtual storage networks, isolation, and more • Protecting clustered virtual environments that use VMware High Availability, Dynamic Resource Scheduling, Fault Tolerance, vMotion, and Storage vMotion • Securing the deployment and management of virtual machines across the network • Mitigating risks associated with backup, performance management, and other day-to-day operations • Using multiple security zones and other advanced virtual network techniques • Securing Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) • Auditing virtual infrastructure, and conducting forensic investigations after a possible breach informit.com/ph | www.Astroarch.com

Although one finds much discussion and research on the features and functionality of Rich Internet Applications (RIAs), the 3D Web, Immersive Environments (e.g. MMORPGs) and Virtual Worlds in both scholarly and popular publications, very little is written about the issues and techniques one must consider when creating, deploying, interacting within, and managing them securely. Security in Virtual Worlds, 3D Webs, and Immersive Environments: Models for Development, Interaction, and Management brings together the issues that managers, practitioners, and researchers must consider when planning, implementing, working within, and managing these promising virtual technologies for secure processes and initiatives. This publication discusses the uses and potential of these virtual technologies and examines secure policy formation and practices that can be applied specifically to each.

One of the biggest buzzwords in the IT industry for the past few years, virtualization has matured into a practical requirement for many best-practice business scenarios, becoming an invaluable tool for security professionals at companies of every size. In addition to saving time and other resources, virtualization affords unprecedented means for intrusion and malware detection, prevention, recovery, and analysis. Taking a practical approach in a growing market underserved by books, this hands-on title is the first to combine in one place the most important and sought-after uses of virtualization for enhanced security, including sandboxing, disaster recovery and high availability, forensic analysis, and honeypotting. Already gaining buzz and traction in actual usage at an impressive rate, Gartner research indicates that virtualization will be the most significant trend in IT infrastructure and operations over the next four years. A recent report by IT research firm IDC predicts the virtualization services market will grow from $5.5 billion in 2006 to $11.7 billion in 2011. With this growth in adoption, becoming increasingly common even for small and midsize businesses, security is becoming a much more serious concern, both in terms of how to secure virtualization and how virtualization can serve critical security objectives. Titles exist and are on the way to fill the need for securing virtualization, but security professionals do not yet have a book outlining the many security applications of virtualization that will become increasingly important in their job requirements. This book is the first to fill that need, covering tactics such as isolating a virtual environment on the desktop for application testing, creating virtualized storage solutions for immediate disaster recovery and high availability across a network, migrating physical systems to virtual systems for analysis, and creating complete virtual systems to entice hackers and expose potential threats to actual production systems. About the Technologies A sandbox is an isolated environment created to run and test applications that might be a security risk. Recovering a compromised system is as easy as restarting the virtual machine to revert to the point before failure. Employing virtualization on actual production systems, rather than just test environments, yields similar benefits for disaster recovery and high availability. While traditional disaster recovery methods require time-consuming reinstallation of the operating system and applications before restoring data, backing up to a virtual machine makes the recovery process much easier, faster, and efficient. The virtual machine can be restored to same physical machine or an entirely different machine if the original machine has experienced irreparable hardware failure. Decreased downtime translates into higher availability of the system and increased productivity in the enterprise. Virtualization has been used for years in the field of forensic analysis, but new tools, techniques, and automation capabilities are making it an increasingly important tool. By means of virtualization, an investigator can create an exact working copy of a physical computer on another machine, including hidden or encrypted partitions, without altering any data, allowing complete access for analysis. The investigator can also take a live ?snapshot? to review or freeze the target computer at any point in time, before an attacker has a chance to cover his tracks or inflict further damage.

Master vSphere 6 virtualization with hands-on practice and bonus preview exams VCP6-DCV: VMware Certified Professional-Data Center Virtualization on vSphere 6 Study Guide is your ultimate guide to preparing for exam 2VO-621. This Study Guide provides 100% coverage of all exam objectives and offers a unique set of study tools including assessment tests, objective map, real-world scenarios, hands-on exercises, and much more so you can be confident come exam day. You will also receive access to the superior Sybex interactive online learning environment that provides additional study tools including electronic flashcards and bonus practice exams. More than just a study guide, this book bridges the gap between exam prep and real-world on the job skills by focusing on the key information VMware professionals need to do the job. You'll master the vCenter Server and ESXi from planning and installation through upgrade and security, and develop an in-depth understanding of vSphere networking and storage, vApp deployment, service level establishment, troubleshooting, monitoring implementation, and so much more. Study 100% of exam 2V0-621 objectives Practice your skills with hands-on exercises Gain professional insight from real-world scenarios Test your understanding with review questions, practice tests, and more Virtualization is the number-one IT priority for organizations across public and private sectors, and VMware is the dominant force in the virtualization space. The VCP6-DCV certification gives you a highly marketable credential in terms of employment, but first you must pass this challenging exam. VCP6-DCV gives you the power of Sybex exam prep and the skills you need to excel at the job.