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I have a VPS with sensitive data on it.

The host runs KVM and I have a guest with Ubuntu on it.

The people running the host, how easy is it for them to extract data from my guest while it's running live? I have encrypted the sensitive data so they could dump the memory and get the key, but is there any other way for them to access the data when it's running live besides dumping the memory, cloning the drive an unencrypting it?

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There is always a way that someone "could" get to the data if they want it bad enough. The key with security is putting enough of it in place that will deter someone from even trying, and minimize your exposure risk by controlling the environment as much as possible. With a VPS, you control virtually nothing about the environment. With sensitive data, it's generally recommended that you run on dedicated hardware, preferably hardware that you own, located in a facility with restricted physical access to said hardware. Personally, I would not put sensitive information in a virtual environment I didn't control without some specific contractual obligations in place that address these issues.

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  • Correct, however, I'd like to know exactly how from a technical perspective they would do it in this type of environment, how easy it is for them..
    – grandnasty
    Jun 24, 2010 at 15:48

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