Chapter 3: Hardware and Virtualization

In this chapter, we will cover the importance of hardware and virtualization as it relates to security. These items can be easily overlooked but are critical components of the overall strategy for securing your Windows systems. As you purchase hardware, you need to consider the process that exists for the supply chain. Who is manufacturing the hardware and how do we trust that the components building the final product are clean and free from vulnerabilities? How do we validate that no additional components have been added that could compromise our security and privacy? We also need to take into consideration the existence of hardware vulnerabilities that become extremely difficult to manage. Ensuring your hardware is the latest available version and secure is just as important as protecting your operating system (OS). Vulnerabilities such as Meltdown and Spectre are prime examples of this. You can learn more about Meltdown and Spectre by reading...