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 Featured Column:
Virtual Machines - Rapid Deployment Of Security Tools
By Darren W. Miller, aka defendingthenet, CastleCops Staff Writer
November 11, 2005
Virtual
Machines - Rapid Security Tool Deployment
Virtual Machines
Many of you have probably heard of, or even
used,
Virtual Machines. But for those of you who have not, here is a
brief
description.
Virtual Machines, or OS Virtualization,
allows
heterogeneous operating systems to run simultaneously on the
same physical
hardware. In a very basic form, imagine running Windows XP,
Windows 2003
Enterprise Server, and Linux on the same computer at the same
time. Each
virtualized operating system, or environment, has access to disk
drives,
memory, video, input devices, and communications devices, all at
the same
time, on the same system. |  |
Before we conclude this article on how virtualization is used to
rapidly and
securely deploy security toolsets, we will provide you with
links to Virtual
Machine software you can work with on a trial bases (or
purchase) and at
least one that is free of cost.
How We
Use Virtual Machines For Various
Testing
Although the majority of the work we do is
security
assessment, we routinely deploy security measures such as
perimeter defense,
or enterprise firewall solutions. Many times, we are replacing
an existing
defense system and need to make sure that when we cut-over to
the new
system, everything will function properly. For instance, when
deploying a
firewall, or firewall clusters, we can simulate the cluster
design by
installed the software into virtual machines, on one physical
system, and
test the internal firewall to firewall communications. Also,
prior to
deploying the firewalls, we can create a virtual machine to
represent each
network protected by the firewalls and test connectivity /
communication on
each network e.g. Internet, private network, DMZ's, and other
protected
nets, all with just one system (usually a beefy laptop with a
good bit of
memory). This method of testing prior to cutting over has proven
invaluable
and mitigates the risk of serious problems that might present
themselves.
How We Use
Virtual
Machines In Security Assessments
Each time we perform a security assessment
for a
customer, we utilize specialized and proprietary software /
tools. However,
once the assessment is completed, and we move on to the next
test or new
customer, we need to start with a clean platform. We never use
the same OS
install or instance of tools for different testing phases or
different
customers.
Using Virtualization, we have pre-created
many
operating environments such as Windows, Linux, BSD, and Solaris
to name a
few, with clean installs and hardened operating systems. These
pre-created,
secure environments also contain all the necessary tools for the
type of
customer environment and security assessment we will be working
on. By using
Virtual Machines, we can deploy our testing platforms within
minutes, not
hours, and feel confident they are secure and ready to function.
In fact, we
can carry many of these ready-to-go operating environments with
us when we
travel using high capacity external disk systems. Typically the
size of a
regular paperback book.
How Else Can
Virtual
Machines Be Used
The application, use, and benefit of
Virtualization is
quite broad. For people at home, or technical people who wish to
learn new
operating environments, Virtual Machines can be a great tool for
learning.
Instead of purchasing multiple physical machines to install the
operating
system and applications you wish to become educated on, you can
purchase one
performance based system, even a laptop, and use virtualization
to run them
all at once. They can even be configured quite easily to
communicate with
each other.
Another "big" benefit in using
Virtual Machines, is
they can be configured to more effectively and efficiently
utilize your
hardware investment. For instance, instead of purchasing two
mid-range
systems to run two different applications, you could purchase
one an use
virtualization to run them side-by-side. In many cases, when
using dedicated
systems for just one or two applications, the hardware is
underutilized.
Would it be a wise investment if the server you purchased is
only being used
at say, "25" percent of its capacity / capability?
Virtualization can help
you maximize the investment you make in performance based
systems, and has
the added benefit of server consolidation.
Conclusion
Even if you are just curious about Virtual
Machine
technology, it can b a great way to learn many aspects of
computing and
network essentials. There are several major players within the
Virtualization industry, such as
VMware.
VMware provides
commercial Virtualization products, even for workstation or
desktop
environments. You can also visit
Xensource, a great
open-source (at no cost) Virtual Machine solution. They have a
demo you can
download, burn to CD, and boot from, or you can download the
entire product
and install it on a dedicated system.
Regardless of the reason you have for
looking into
Virtualization, I can tell you that this technology as going to
be a big
player in the near future. In fact, processor manufacturers are
even taking
steps to create processors that are Virtual Machine aware.
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