Virtualization Security: Protecting Virtualized Environments

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.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Fundamentals of Virtualization Security
Chapter 2: Securing Hypervisors
Chapter 3: Designing Virtual Networks for Security
Chapter 4: Advanced Virtual Network Operations
Chapter 5: Virtualization Management and Client Security
Chapter 6: Securing the Virtual Machine
Chapter 7: Logging and Auditing
Chapter 8: Change and Configuration Management
Chapter 9: Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity
Chapter 10: Scripting Tips and Tricks for Automation
Chapter 11: Additional Security Considerations for Virtual Infrastructure