Security Admins
Invisible networks are spreading within data centers. Virtualization of computing hardware is creating these networks of virtual machines (VMs) within physical servers. Traditional network monitoring and security measures are unable to see or control the growing volume of inter-VM traffic.
Inter-VM traffic on a host doesn’t touch the physical network: it is invisible to traditional network monitoring tools and unprotected by physical network security devices. As a result, VMs are highly vulnerable to attack. For example, a buffer overflow attack on a vulnerable application can enable an attacker to run arbitrary code in a VM. With no packet inspection or filtering of virtual network traffic, the attacker can gain access to all other VMs resident on the host.
VMware’s live migration technologies - VMotion and DRS - magnify the potential for inadvertently mixing trust levels. Achieving the full economic benefits of virtualization requires using VMotion; the downside is unpredictable combinations of trusted and untrusted VMs sharing the same virtual subnet.
Altor Networks created the Altor VF virtual firewall specifically to mitigate the risks of virtual networks, while maintaining the ROI of virtualization. A next generation security solution purpose-built for the virtual environment, the Altor VF monitors and controls inter-VM traffic, enforcing security policies at the individual VM level. Because it was designed from scratch to secure the latest virtualization technologies, it provides the thorough protection and ease of operation missing from traditional physical networking products and workarounds.