Enhancing Security Measures for Virtual Machine Monitor (VMM) Insertion in Virtualization Environments

Senthil Kumar, Siva Sankar (2024) Enhancing Security Measures for Virtual Machine Monitor (VMM) Insertion in Virtualization Environments. Masters thesis, Dublin, National College of Ireland.

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Abstract

Virtualization is a popular technology in modern computing although it comes with a lot of risks regarding security. The study concentrates on exploring weaknesses that can be exploited by the attackers in Virtualization Environments. Virtual Machine Monitors (VMMs) are responsible for managing virtual machines but become security targets where they are vulnerable to phishing attacks, rootkit installation, and even manipulation of image metadata. PyPhisher was used for performing phishing attack, SEToolkit was used for social engineering attack, and custom python scripts were developed for extracting and modifying metadata of the image files. These tools enabled to illustrate how a threat actor can infiltrate VMMs, conceal malicious actions, and change crucial information without being detected. The research established that VMMs are exposed to these threats because of weak authentication, poor monitoring, and ineffective rootkits detection. In order to reduce these risks, the research recommends increasing the usage of multi-factor authentication, increasing the effectiveness of rootkit detection methods and increasing the effectiveness of image metadata evaluation. These are measures that are very important when it comes to consolidating the security of virtual environments. These research outcomes offer value to the current research in strengthening the security of VMMs and enhancing comprehensive knowledge in the protection against increasingly sophisticated cyber threats in virtualization systems.

Item Type:	Thesis (Masters)
Supervisors:	Name Email Salahuddin, Jawad UNSPECIFIED
Subjects:	Q Science > QA Mathematics > Electronic computers. Computer science T Technology > T Technology (General) > Information Technology > Electronic computers. Computer science Q Science > QA Mathematics > Computer software > Computer Security T Technology > T Technology (General) > Information Technology > Computer software > Computer Security
Divisions:	School of Computing > Master of Science in Cyber Security
Depositing User:	Ciara O'Brien
Date Deposited:	31 Jul 2025 08:58
Last Modified:	31 Jul 2025 08:58
URI:	https://norma.ncirl.ie/id/eprint/8369

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