Vulnerabilities and solutions for isolation in FlowVisor-based virtual network environments

Abstract

In a virtualized environment, different virtual networks can operate over the same physical infrastructure. Each virtual network has its own protocols and share the available resources, thus highlighting the need of resource isolation mechanisms. Investigating the isolation mechanisms provided by FlowVisor, we have discovered vulnerabilities previously unknown regarding addressing space isolation. We show that, in the presence of a malicious controller, FlowVisor’s isolation can be broken allowing different attacks. This paper addresses these vulnerabilities by proposing an Action Slicing mechanism, that allows FlowVisor to limit which actions can be used by each virtual network controller, thus extending the virtual network definition. Our experimental results show that using the proposed Action Slicing mechanism can effectively neutralize the discovered vulnerabilities.