Virtual Machine Security

prospero

the ancient geek
I've just installed VMware Player to run XP and Ubuntu.

Do I need to install anti-virus, firewall and other security software or is this taken care of by the host (Windows 7 Pro)?
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Dell Inspiron 580
OS
Windows 7 Professional 64-bit SP1
CPU
Intel Quad Core i5 750 2.67Ghz 8Mb
Motherboard
Dell 033FF6 A00
Memory
6Gb DDR3 Dual Channel
Graphics Card(s)
1Gb ATI Radeon HD 5450
Sound Card
Integrated 7.1
Monitor(s) Displays
Dell 23" ST 2310 HDMI; Samsung 21" HDMI
Screen Resolution
1920 x 1080; 1920 x 1080
Hard Drives
1TB WD Serial ATA 7200RPM
Iomega 500Gb Remote
PSU
300w
Case
Dell
Cooling
1 x Case; 1 x Processor; 1 x Video Card
Keyboard
Microsoft Comfort Curve 3000
Mouse
Microsoft Wireless Touch (Intellipoint)
Internet Speed
down 200Mb; up 12Mb (Virgin Media SuperHub 2)
Antivirus
MSE
Browser
IE11, Google Chrome
Other Info
HP Photosmart Premium 309g-m
Compaq Presario Laptop CQ70 with 7 Pro 32-bit.
Huawei MediaPad 32GB
Several Raspberry Pi's B2,B3 and Zero
Several varieties of Arduinos
I've just installed VMware Player to run XP and Ubuntu.

Do I need to install anti-virus, firewall and other security software or is this taken care of by the host (Windows 7 Pro)?

Prospero, You should treat any Virtual Drive Operating System as a new computer and they are vulnerable to you picking up a virus. Data comes in thru it's own Ethernet connection and does not get tested by your main OS's av.

I recommend installing an AV on each.

Unless your running DOS 6.2 on a Virtual Machine :D

Rich
 

My Computer

Computer type
Laptop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Toshiba Laptop Qosimo X870
OS
Windows 7 Pro x64 SP1
CPU
Intel Core I7
Motherboard
Toshiba Qosmio
Memory
16 Gigs
Graphics Card(s)
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670M
Monitor(s) Displays
17.7" laptop
Screen Resolution
1600 x 900
Hard Drives
256 Gig SanDisk SSD for C
256 Gig Intel SSD for D
Internet Speed
50/25 FIOS
Antivirus
Vipre (all you can eat for 10 machines)
Browser
IE and FF
Other Info
I have dos 6.22, wfwg 3.11, win98, 2000 and xp VHD's available for testing. MS's Virtual PC works great.
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