College
College of Engineering and Polymer Science
Date of Last Revision
2026-05-07 06:11:22
Major
Computer Information Systems
Honors Course
CISS491-801
Number of Credits
3
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science in Computer Science
Date of Expected Graduation
Spring 2026
Abstract
Virtual machines (VMs) play a crucial role in modern IT infrastructure environments by providing isolation and enhanced security, among other things, for both personal and corporate systems. VMs are heavily rely upon to safely test malware, manage infrastructure, and reduce risk to host systems. This reliance is so substantial that the idea of reducing risk to the host system is believed to be erasing risk entirely. However, this mindset has shown to be challenged time and time again by the emergence of exploits known as virtual machine escapes. These exploits allow malicious actors to break out of the virtualized environment and breach the plane between virtualization and host system, which then allows the attacker to execute code on the host system and infect any other initialized virtualizations on the system. This project will evaluate the risks associated with VM Escape Attacks.
Research Sponsor
Nadhem Ebrahim
First Reader
Autumn Groen
Second Reader
Hannah Taupieka
Honors Faculty Advisor
Janet Kropff
Proprietary and/or Confidential Information
No
Community Engaged Scholarship
No
Recommended Citation
DiSanza, Noah M., "Analyzing Network Traffic and Data Exfiltration via SMB in Post-VM Escape Scenarios" (2026). Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects. 2215.
https://ideaexchange.uakron.edu/honors_research_projects/2215
Included in
Computer and Systems Architecture Commons, Cybersecurity Commons, Digital Communications and Networking Commons, Hardware Systems Commons, Information Security Commons, OS and Networks Commons, Other Computer Engineering Commons, Systems Architecture Commons