# What is Virtualization Security?

> Virtualization security is the practice of protecting the software and hardware layers that create and run virtual machines and other virtual resources.

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## Content

It covers hypervisors, host systems, guest operating systems, virtual networks and storage, images, snapshots, migration, device passthrough, and management interfaces. Its central concern is preserving isolation and controlled resource sharing among workloads and between guests and the host.

The hypervisor mediates processor, memory, device, storage, and network access, making its management plane highly privileged. An organization may operate these layers or inherit host and hypervisor controls from a provider; each guest still needs customer-managed controls. Inventories must include powered-off machines, templates, snapshots containing secrets, cloned identities, and migrated workloads.

### Key points

- **Management plane:** Separate and strongly authenticate administration, apply least privilege, protect automation and images, restrict exposed interfaces, monitor important changes, and maintain tested recovery.
- **Isolation and resources:** Minimize device and host access, control virtual networks, validate passthrough and shared services, and prevent one workload from exhausting resources needed by others.
- **Lifecycle:** Harden hosts and guests, maintain supported software, govern templates, snapshots, clones, migration, backup, and disposal, and preserve unique identities and current controls after restoration.
- **Important limitation:** A virtual machine is not a physical security boundary. Hypervisor, firmware, management-plane, or host compromise can affect many guests, while vulnerable guest software and unsafe virtual networking remain risks. Snapshots and rapid cloning can reproduce outdated software, credentials, identifiers, and misconfigurations.

### Related terms

[Virtual firewall](<https://yellowcube.eu/glossary/virtual-firewall/>) · [Container security](<https://yellowcube.eu/glossary/container-security/>) · [Cloud workload protection platform (CWPP)](<https://yellowcube.eu/glossary/cloud-workload-protection-platform/>) · [Microsegmentation](<https://yellowcube.eu/glossary/microsegmentation/>) · [Cloud security](<https://yellowcube.eu/glossary/cloud-security/>) · [Data center security](<https://yellowcube.eu/glossary/data-center-security/>) · [Virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) security](<https://yellowcube.eu/glossary/virtual-desktop-infrastructure-security/>)

### Sources

[NIST SP 800-125: Security for Full Virtualization Technologies](https://csrc.nist.gov/pubs/sp/800/125/final) · [NIST SP 800-125A Rev. 1: Security Recommendations for Server-Based Hypervisors](https://csrc.nist.gov/pubs/sp/800/125/a/r1/final) · [NIST SP 800-125B: Secure Virtual Network Configuration for VM Protection](https://csrc.nist.gov/pubs/sp/800/125/b/final)

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