6.7

Table Of Contents
Securing Windows Guest
Operating Systems with
Virtualization-based Security 9
Starting with vSphere 6.7, you can enable Microsoft virtualization-based security (VBS) on supported
Windows guest operating systems.
About Virtualization-based Security
Microsoft VBS, a feature of Windows 10 and Windows Server 2016 operating systems, uses hardware
and software virtualization to enhance system security by creating an isolated, hypervisor-restricted,
specialized subsystem.
VBS permits you to use the following Windows security features to harden your system and isolate key
system and user secrets from being compromised:
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Credential Guard: Aims to isolate and harden key system and user secrets against compromise.
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Device Guard: Provides a set of features designed to work together to prevent and eliminate malware
from running on a Windows system.
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Configurable Code Integrity: Ensures that only trusted code runs from the boot loader onwards.
See the topic on virtualization-based security in the Microsoft documentation for more information.
After you enable VBS for a virtual machine through vCenter Server, you enable VBS within the Windows
guest operating system.
This chapter includes the following topics:
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Virtualization-based Security Best Practices
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Enable Virtualization-based Security on a Virtual Machine
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Enable Virtualization-based Security on an Existing Virtual Machine
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Enable Virtualization-based Security on the Guest Operating System
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Disable Virtualization-based Security
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Identify VBS-Enabled Virtual Machines
Virtualization-based Security Best Practices
Follow best practices for virtualization-based security (VBS) to maximize security and manageability of
your Windows guest operating system environment.
VMware, Inc.
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