Security·4,761 discussions

Does running an OS inside a VM on that same OS provide security?

Tags: Security

Does running you OS within a virtual machine inside that OS provide any extra security? Does it insulate the host OS and hardware from an attack? Does it depend on the VM software?

I use macOS on a MacBook Pro, which I know the Apple fanatics are going to scream about re: ‘inherent security’ of Apple products. But if I was to run macOS inside a VM inside macOS on Virtualbox, I can limit the hardware that the VM can access—e.g., USB, the number of processor cores, etc.

I know as a standard practice, that limits the overall performance of the physical machine. But to me, it feels like sandboxing the entire OS.

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No.

In reply to Does running an OS inside a VM on that same OS provide security?

A simple reason is that we don’t have enough details or definition. What do you consider an attack?
For example the malicious code could do something as mundane as mine bitcoin or could relay then send spam email. Just being in a VM might not stop these apps or badware.

No

In reply to Does running an OS inside a VM on that same OS provide security?

If the OS inside the VM has access to folders or files in the host system, any ransomware program might encode them. Or files that you don’t want to be read can be read and that you don’t want deleted can be deleted.

Reply To: Does running an OS inside a VM on that same OS provide security?

In reply to Does running an OS inside a VM on that same OS provide security?

Simply, no. The guest OS inside the virtual machine is supposed to be isolated from the host OS, with software running on the guest unable to access the host’s resources or the machine’s hardware directly. Theory and practice are the same in theory, but often different in practice.

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