Is 'virtual ubuntu' as safe as having it as the main OS?

Hi. I've just installed Virtualbox and now have a VM running Ubuntu. I intend using it solely for banking/Amazon etc.

I've read that there are virtually no viruses directed at Linux but is the aforementioned setup as good as having Ubuntu as the main OS? My thinking is: What's powering your Ubuntu? - Virtualbox. What's powering your Virtualbox? - Windows.

(I'm paranoid by nature...)

Thanks in advance for any comments/explanations.

Hi there.

In some ways it could even be SAFER as you'd have to go through TWO layers of security --the HOST OS and then the VM.

The only potentially difficulty comes from two areas (and from the HOST rather than the VM itself).

1) The Virtual disks could get contaminated -- however the worst that could happen here is that the VM would fail to function. As far as the HOST is concerned your Virtual disks are just DATA disks like any other on the Host and therefore could get attacked like any other HDD on the system.

2) The VM program you are running - for example VMware workstation -- could get compromised -- the VM application is simply an application running on the Host machine - so it *might* be possible for a piece of malware to interrupt the key strokes that VMWARE workstation is recording - and hence data in your Linux guest could be compromised --I haven't though heard of any successful attacks on those lines being done so far.

Running HYPER-V -- no idea but if it's essentially a HOST application the same considerations might apply.

I wouldn't though in general worry about NATIVE attacks on the VM Ubuntu system itself -- any attack is likely to come from the Host.

Cheers
jimbo

Thanks guys - I'm happy with that.