METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR LOCATING AN UNAUTHORIZED VIRTUAL MACHINE

• US 20090138877A1
• Filed: 11/27/2007
• Published: 05/28/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Original Assignee: ManageIQ, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Barenboim, Oleg, Oliveri, Richard, Fitzgerald, Joseph
• Granted Patent: US 8,418,173 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 718/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/121 Restricting unauthorised execution of programs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/52 during program execution, e.g. stack integrity ; Preventing unwanted data erasure; Buffer overflow

Abstract

Methods and apparatus of locating an unauthorized virtual machine are disclosed. A virtual machine is registered with a management system. When the virtual machine is requested to start, the system determines whether the virtual machine is in an authorized environment. In an authorized environment, the virtual machine is enabled to operate normally. In an unauthorized environment, the virtual machine is disabled. The disabled virtual machine gathers information about the unauthorized environment and transmits the information to the virtual machine owner.

Claims

1. A method for detecting an unauthorized use of a virtual machine, the method comprising:

storing a virtual machine on a physical machine, the virtual machine including a boot pointer, the boot pointer pointing to a locator code;

booting the virtual machine;

bypassing the locator code by adjusting the boot pointer if the virtual machine is in an authorized environment; and

executing the locator code if the virtual machine is in an unauthorized environment, wherein the locator code gathers information indicative of the location of the unauthorized environment, and transmits a message including the information indicative of the location.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the physical machine includes a management layer, wherein the management layer determines whether to enable the virtual machine in response to a request to start the virtual machine.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the physical machine includes a virtualization subsystem, the virtualization subsystem supporting a plurality of virtual machines.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the physical machine includes a management agent, wherein the management agent adjusts the boot pointer of the virtual machine.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the authorized environment includes a managed physical machine and a managed virtual machine.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the managed physical machine and the managed virtual machine are associated with each other to create the authorized environment.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the unauthorized environment includes a managed physical machine and an unmanaged virtual machine.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the unauthorized environment includes an unmanaged physical machine and a managed virtual machine.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the unauthorized environment includes a managed physical machine and a managed virtual machine, wherein the managed physical machine and the managed virtual machine are not associated with each other to create the authorized environment.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the information indicative of the location of the unauthorized environment includes an IP address associated with the physical machine.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the message including the information indicative of the location is transmitted via an internet.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual machine shuts down after the message including the information indicative of the location has been transmitted.

13. An apparatus for detecting an unauthorized use of a virtual machine, the apparatus comprising:

a physical machine;

the physical machine storing a virtual machine;

at least one of the physical machine and the virtual machine storing a software program to cause the virtual machine to;

point a boot pointer to a locator code;

boot the virtual machine;

bypass the locator code by adjusting the boot pointer if the virtual machine is in an authorized environment; and

execute the locator code if the virtual machine is in an unauthorized environment, wherein the locator code gathers information indicative of the location of the unauthorized environment, and transmits a message including the information indicative of the location.

14. A computer readable media storing software instructions to detect an unauthorized use of a virtual machine, the software instructions causing a computing device to:

store a virtual machine on a physical machine, the virtual machine including a boot pointer;

point the boot pointer to a locator code;

boot the virtual machine;

bypass the locator code by adjusting the boot pointer if the virtual machine is in an authorized environment; and

execute the locator code if the virtual machine is in an unauthorized environment, wherein the locator code gathers information indicative of the location of the unauthorized environment, and transmits a message including the information indicative of the location.