Security vendor McAfee says it has updated its intrusion prevention system (IPS) with the ability to analyze network traffic from virtual machines (VMs). Specifically, Network Security Platform Version 6 now comes with the ability to inspect network transfers within the virtual environment, such as between VMs and from VMs to the underlying hardware components. 

As reported on eWeek, McAfee relied on the use of agent-based software licensed from Reflex Systems, which runs on a VMware hypervisor to collect the pertinent traffic information. This information is then transmitted to the McAfee IPS appliance, which prevents the VM from being put under unnecessary strain.

One challenge that has risen from virtualization as a mainstream technology is the decreased data and security visibility encountered by IT departments. Traditional IDS and IPS appliances that operate via a physical network did not function well, or were simply not usable in a fully virtualized environment. Fortunately, the security vacuum is being closed as vendors move to address inter-VM security. For now, McAfee says it is considering a similar approach on other virtual-machine environments, such as Microsoft's (NASDAQ: MSFT) Hyper-V and the Citrix Xen.

For more on this story:
- check out this article at Network World
- check out this article at eWeek

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