NIST IR 8221 A Methodology for Enabling Forensic Analysis Using Hypervisor Vulnerabilities Data Ramaswamy Chandramouli Anoop Singhal Duminda Wijesekera Changwei Liu This publication is available free of charge from: https://doi.org/10.6028/ NIST.IR.8221 NIST IR 8221 A Methodology for Enabling Forensic Analysis Using Hypervisor Vulnerabilities Data Ramaswamy Chandramouli Anoop Singhal Duminda Wijesekera Computer Security Division Information Technology Laboratory Changwei Liu George Mason University Fairfax, VA This publication is available free of charge from: https://doi.org/10.6028/ NIST.IR.8221 June 2019 U.S. Department of Commerce Wilbur L. Ross, Jr., Secretary National Institute of Standards and Technology Walter Copan , NIST Director and Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology National Institute of Standards and Technology Interagency or Internal Report 8221 35 pages ( June 2019) This publication is available free of charge from: https://doi.org/10.6028/ NIST.IR.8221 Certain commercial entities, equipment, or materials may be identified in this document in order to describe an experimental procedure or concept adequately. Such identification is not intended to imply recommendation or endorsement by NIST, nor is it inte nded to imply that the entities, materials, or equipment are necessarily the best available for the purpose. There may be references in this publication to other publications currently under development by NIST in accordance with its assigned statutory re sponsibilities. The information in this publication, including concepts and methodologies, may be used by f ederal agencies even before the completion of such companion publications. Thus, until each publication is completed, current requirements, guideline s, and procedures, where they exist, remain operative. For planning and transition purposes, f ederal agencies may wish to closely follow the development of these new publications by NIST. Organizations are encouraged to review all draft publications during public comment periods and provide feedback to NIST. Many NIST cybersecurity publications , ot her than the ones noted above, are available at https://csrc.nist.gov/publications . Comments on this publication may be submitted to: National Institute of Standards and Technology Attn: Computer Security Division, Information Technology Laboratory 100 Bureau Drive (Mail Stop 8930) Gaithersburg, MD 20899 -8930 Email: [email protected] All comments are subject to release under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). NISTIR 8221 ENABLING FORENSIC ANALYSIS USING HYPERVISOR VULNERABILITIES DATA ii This publication is available free of charge from: http s://doi.org/10.6028/ NIST.IR.8221 Reports on Computer Systems Technology The Information Technology Laboratory (ITL) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) promotes the U.S. economy and public welfare by providing technical leadership for the Nation’s measurement and standards infrastructure. ITL develops tests, test methods, reference data, proof -of-concept implementations, and technical analyses to advance the development and productive use of information technology. ITL’s responsibilities include the development of management, administrative, technical, and physical standards and guidelines for the cost -effective security and privacy of other than national s ecurity -related information in f ederal informa tion systems. Abstract Hardware/Server Virtualization is a foundational technology in a cloud computing environment and the hypervisor is the key software in that virtualized infrastructure. However, h ypervisors are large pieces of software with several thousand lines of code and are therefore known to have vulnerabilities. Hence a capability to perform forensic analysis to detect, r