A Gartner report says more than 60% of virtual machines (VMs) are more at risk of viral attacks than their physical counterparts. Malware attacks targeting VMs will be on the rise as usage continues to grow.
Check Point Technology's regional director Nick Lowe says a pressing issue with regard to VMs is ensuring the virtual environment is designed and built as robustly as the physical network. CIOs should not overlook securing their organisations' servers and data from constantly evolving threats, he adds.
“In fact, this hard-won security knowledge stands you in very good stead when it comes to securing the virtual world.”
The basics
Check Point says organisations should also engage in basic maintenance of their VMs. This would include monitoring which applications are moved from physical servers to virtual environments, and unifying VM security.
“It's easy to get carried away with the performance benefits, and overlook the fact that the applications running on the VMs need to be segregated. Certain apps need segregating to ensure security,” says Lowe.
“Virtualisation is like driving a new sports car. It's so easy to move quickly. But just like when you were learning to drive, you've got to find out how to do it safely. It's easy to be seduced by the performance and ease of VMs, and overlook the more mundane aspects.”
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