What are Hypervisors?

A hypervisor, or virtual machine monitor (VMM), is virtualization software that creates and manages multiple virtual machines (VMs) from a single physical host machine.

Types of hypervisors

1. Native or bare metal hypervisorA native hypervisor installs virtualization software directly on the hardware, hence the name bare metal hypervisor. In this model, the hypervisor takes the place of the OS. As a result, these hypervisors are typically faster since all computing power can be dedicated to guest virtual machines, as well as more secure since adversaries cannot target vulnerabilities within the OS.

2. Hosted or embedded hypervisorUnlike bare-metal hypervisors, a hosted hypervisor is deployed as an added software layer on top of the host operating system. Multiple operating systems can then be installed as a new layer on top of the host OS. In this model, the OS acts as a weigh station between the hardware and hypervisor. As a result, an embedded hypervisor tends to have higher latency and slower performance. The presence of the OS also makes this type more vulnerable to cyberattacks.

Understanding hypervisor security

On one hand, by isolating VMs from one another, a hypervisor effectively contains attacks on an individual VM. Also, in the case of type 1 or bare metal hypervisors, the absence of an operating system significantly reduces the risk of an attack since adversaries cannot exploit vulnerabilities within the OS.

At the same time, the hypervisor host itself can be subject to an attack. In that case, each guest machine and their associated data could be vulnerable to a breach.

Best practices for improving hypervisor security

Here are some best practices to consider when integrating a hypervisor within the organization’s IT architecture:

• Minimize the attack surface by limiting a host’s role to only operating VMs
• Conduct regular and timely patching for all software applications and the OS
• Leverage other security measures, such as encryption, zero trust and multi-factor authentication (MFA) to ensure user credentials remain secure
• Limit administrative privileges and the number of users in the system
• Incorporate the hypervisor within the organization’s cybersecurity architecture for maximum protection

Hypervisors and log management

With the growth of microservices and migration to disparate cloud environments, maintaining observability has become increasingly difficult. Additionally, challenges such as application availability, bugs/vulnerabilities, resource use and changes to performance in virtual machines/containers that affect end-user experience continues to affect the community. Organizations operating with a continuous delivery model are further troubled with capturing and understanding the dependencies within the application environment.

Click here to Contact us for Free Quote.