VM

Jan 1, 0001

Definition

A Virtual Machine (VM) is a software-based emulation of a physical computer that runs an operating system and applications just like a physical machine. VMs are created using hypervisors, which can be either Type 1 (bare-metal) or Type 2 (hosted), allowing multiple VMs to run on a single physical host. They provide isolation, resource management, and the ability to run different operating systems on the same hardware, making them a versatile tool for development, testing, and production environments.

Secure Settings Example

# Example of a secure VM configuration using a cloud provider's infrastructure as code (IaC) tool
resource "azurerm_virtual_machine" "secure_vm" {
  name                  = "secure-vm"
  location              = azurerm_resource_group.main.location
  resource_group_name   = azurerm_resource_group.main.name
  network_interface_ids = [azurerm_network_interface.main.id]
  vm_size               = "Standard_DS1_v2"

  os_profile {
    computer_name  = "securevm"
    admin_username = "adminuser"
    admin_password = var.secure_password
  }

  os_profile_linux_config {
    disable_password_authentication = true
    ssh_keys {
      path     = "/home/adminuser/.ssh/authorized_keys"
      key_data = file("~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub")
    }
  }

  tags = {
    environment = "production"
  }
}

Insecure Settings Example

# Example of an insecure VM configuration with weak security practices
resource "azurerm_virtual_machine" "insecure_vm" {
  name                  = "insecure-vm"
  location              = azurerm_resource_group.main.location
  resource_group_name   = azurerm_resource_group.main.name
  network_interface_ids = [azurerm_network_interface.main.id]
  vm_size               = "Standard_DS1_v2"

  os_profile {
    computer_name  = "insecurevm"
    admin_username = "admin"
    admin_password = "password123" # Weak password
  }

  os_profile_linux_config {
    disable_password_authentication = false # Allows password authentication
  }

  tags = {
    environment = "development"
  }
}