Virtualized products, real-time security !

When we talk about “Information Technology”, it is well known to the world that it keeps growing (amen ;) ). However, if closely observed one would notice that when it was first launched into the market, its growth was very nominal. With the ever increasing internet and email traffic, today’s organizations face a new dilemma in network security and services management. In order to compete in the marketplace, organizations are demanding more web applications, E2E e-commerce capabilities and quadrupled web services which enable 24X7 global operations. This seamlessly resulted in server farms and data centers growing at an uncontrollable rate, in turn demanding more and more machines, space, cabling, network equipment and off course humans to manage them.

Enter VIRTUALIZATION…

Virtualization is the technology which allows many systems to run on a single physical machine. While each system believes it is running on its own hardware having dedicated resources, it is actually running as a virtual guest over a much larger host system. All physical resources, such as hard-drive, network devices and processors can be assigned and shared among these guest systems. End result, optimal and efficient use of existing hardware, reduction in power and cooling costs and reduced data center footprints.

Virtualizing a few physical computers or a server is just the beginning. Today you can build an entire virtual infrastructure, scaling across hundreds of computers, storage devices and data-centers. This phenomenon is the cause behind fundamental transformations as enterprises are replacing traditional environments with newer virtual environments. Virtualization can be done in two different ways, one which requires a host operating system on which a virtualization software is installed and the other where the virtualization software is deployed directly on the hardware. The base concept is providing a thin layer between the Host OS and the Guest OS or the Hardware and Guest OS, which is referred to as a “Hypervisor”. Path breaking advancements are being made using the virtualization techniques. Enterprises are using data-centers at full capacities, space and speed are growing, development and testing of applications has eased dramatically. However, as every coin has two sides, introducing virtualization paves way for newer security vulnerabilities that form an epicenter for attackers to access enterprise networks. Result : Security enters the picture, but the icing of the cake is that, even security has newer virtualized products to offer. Let’s talk about one of them;

“To me, security is like bell bottoms, every 5-10 years or so, it comes back into style.”

People have always thought of security appliances as ugly big boxes which make a lot of noise, consume too much space, desperately need an AC and more often than not fail to protect against incoming threats coming from the internet. Moreover, costs of procurement and maintenance of these appliances burn holes in one’s pocket. However, an array of security products using the virtualization technology helps create a totally distinct viewpoint. One such offering is the Virtual IPS solution.
Traditional IPS (Intrusion Prevention System) require highly specialized ASIC-based hardware to run. Combined with this the IPS also has a dedicated OS enhancing security by going beyond simple detection of an attack's signature, or methodology, to detecting random attacks without signatures. Thus, this setup of IPS in your network would require a dedicated IPS hardware, installing and configuring it at the end-point and also safe-guarding it so as to have minimal network downtime.

Beat this, a single CPU having 1 Gb of RAM and 15 GB of hard-drive with two NICs can help you protect your intranet of approx 100 computers or an output of 1.5 Gigs. Conventionally, such a setup would require a dedicated Intrusion Prevention System sitting at the perimeter and providing an output of 200 Migs. This is not all, the physical machine on which the Virtual IPS is deployed could well be used for running other activities or hosting one or two more servers. Also, these virtualized solutions help in minimizing the network downtime as they can easily be restored to their original configuration within a span of a minute. Performance and high-availability have been taken to newer heights with the ability of these products to shift through hardware in real-time. Thus, your solution never goes down and keeps you protected 24X7. In addition, implementing a virtualized IPS solution brings about various advantages like low cost and space utilization, optimal use of existing hardware and minimizing network downtime losses.

VMware is leading the virtualization market with solutions spanning across the host based and hardware based techniques. Network security solutions are available on the host based platforms, with IBM being the first to launch a hardware based IPS solution (Phantom). The Phantom is so designed to increase the security posture of the hypervisor, a critical point of vulnerability because once an attacker gains control of the hypervisor, they gain control of all of the machines running on the virtualized platform. For the first time, the hypervisor “gateway to the virtualized world and all that lays above it” can be locked down.

Virtualization and Security go hand in hand whether its asking for trouble or simplifying your work. This is just the beginning…

Hack justly & win prizes ethically !

“null” is an open security community for ethical hackers, security professionals and security enthusiasts, born out of the need for:

• Promoting advanced security research.
• Spreading security awareness among the netizens.
• A centralized knowledge base for security related information.

We at null boast of an active security community where we have monthly meets and regular security awareness camps in various Institutions and Organizations.

It gives me immense pleasure to invite you to;
“nullcon” - the 1st ever community driven “Security and Hacking Conference”
As a first step of nullcon, here is the pre-nullcon hacking challenge
http://nullcon.net/challenge

After starting level 1, people might be thinking "whats next". The login prompt is for you people to break. Try a few combinations (what a hacker might use) and be on a look-out for some helpful messages...

For further details please visit;
www.null.co.in
www.nullcon.net

Happy hacking...