1

I'm just asking if my host machine stays safe when browsing the dark web darknet using Tor on a virtual machine with bridge connection through the host machine ? Since the virtual machine will be using the same RAM with host machine, can a virus inside the VMware RAM affect the host machine? Like send the IP address of the host machine, open a port, open a backdoor etc? Will there be a difference in terms of the security to the host machine if it is either Linux or Windows ?

Limit
  • 3,191
  • 1
  • 16
  • 35
Osama Al-Banna
  • 113
  • 4
  • 4
    Possible duplicate of [Does a Virtual Machine stop malware from doing harm?](http://security.stackexchange.com/questions/9011/does-a-virtual-machine-stop-malware-from-doing-harm), also [Is it safe to use virtual machines when examining malware?](http://security.stackexchange.com/questions/23452/is-it-safe-to-use-virtual-machines-when-examining-malware) – Steffen Ullrich Jan 09 '17 at 19:47

1 Answers1

1

There have been attacks hosts with non-ECC ram through their virtual machine. The attackers were able to pass commands to the host computer by manipulating the VM memory.

http://www.darkreading.com/risk/hacking-tool-lets-a-vm-break-out-and-attack-its-host/d/d-id/1131254?

The same security rules that apply to your host, apply to your VM. Use VPNs and the like to help mask your public IP.

tim_shane
  • 75
  • 4
  • Thanks that what I'm looking fore ,so I think the best way is to boot an OS using USB stick and browse safely . – Osama Al-Banna Jan 09 '17 at 19:52
  • 1
    A live image of an OS combined with a properly encrypted hard disk will protect your physical system. Tor + a trusted VPN would add more layers of your physical network security. – tim_shane Jan 09 '17 at 19:58
  • Thanks yes totally agree with you ,I forgot about the protected hard disk . – Osama Al-Banna Jan 09 '17 at 20:01
  • @tim_shane how can a properly encrypted hard disk protect the physiacl system in this case? – cyzczy Jan 09 '17 at 20:29
  • @adam86 Encrypted hard disks are authenticated on boot. So, if you boot to a live CD, you skip that authentication and your volumes remain encrypted. – tim_shane Jan 09 '17 at 20:48
  • @tim_shane thank you.buthow rhis differs then from a non encrypted disk? It's still password protected with the Windows password or am I confusing something? Thank you for yor help. – cyzczy Jan 10 '17 at 06:50
  • The difference is that while you need a password to log in to a Windows machine, if you turned the machine off and pulled out the hard drive and connected that to another PC (Or as in this situation, booting to a live CD), you can browse all of the files on the disk as if it were just an external storage device. If you had any ownership issues that don't permit you to view a file or directory, you can simple use takeown or chown to change the ownership to yourself. If your disk is encrypted, you cannot access files without first decrypting the disk. – tim_shane Jan 10 '17 at 16:47