Virtualization Security Advantages | CSSLP Exam Prep

Security Advantages of Virtualization

Question

What are the security advantages of virtualization, as described in the NIST Information Security and Privacy Advisory Board (ISPAB) paper "Perspectives on Cloud Computing and Standards"? Each correct answer represents a complete solution.

Choose three.

Answers

Explanations

Click on the arrows to vote for the correct answer

A. B. C. D.

fault tolerant computing using rollback and snapshot features.

Answer: D is incorrect.

Virtualization increases configuration effort because of complexity of the.

The security advantages of virtualization are as follows: It adds a layer of security for defense-in-depth.

It provides strong encapsulation of errors.

It increases intrusion detection through introspection.

It decreases exposure of weak software.

It increases the flexibility for discovery.

It increases capabilities for virtualization layer and composite system.

Virtualization is the creation of a virtual version of something, such as an operating system, a server, a storage device, or network resources. The virtualization technology provides an abstraction layer that separates the physical hardware from the software running on it. Virtualization has been increasingly adopted in the field of cloud computing as a way to provide cost-effective, scalable, and flexible computing resources.

According to the NIST Information Security and Privacy Advisory Board (ISPAB) paper "Perspectives on Cloud Computing and Standards," virtualization provides several security advantages, including:

  1. It adds a layer of security for defense-in-depth: Virtualization can provide an additional layer of security by creating isolated environments, where each virtual machine can have its own operating system, applications, and data. This can prevent a compromise in one virtual machine from affecting other virtual machines or the host system. Furthermore, virtualization can provide security features such as virtual firewalls, intrusion detection and prevention systems, and virtual private networks ( VPNs) to further enhance the security of the virtual environment.

  2. It decreases exposure of weak software: By providing isolated environments, virtualization can reduce the attack surface of weak software, making it more difficult for attackers to exploit vulnerabilities. Additionally, virtualization can be used to isolate untrusted or unknown software, such as web applications or third-party components, which may be vulnerable to attacks.

  3. It increases capabilities for fault-tolerant computing: Virtualization can provide fault-tolerant computing capabilities, which can improve the availability and reliability of the system. By using virtualization, multiple virtual machines can be run on a single physical host, allowing for load balancing, failover, and disaster recovery capabilities. Furthermore, virtualization can enable live migration of virtual machines, which can allow for maintenance and upgrades without downtime.

In contrast, the answer option D. It decreases configuration effort is not a security advantage of virtualization. Although virtualization can provide benefits in terms of ease of management and deployment, it does not directly impact security.