Anti-virus necessary on Virtual Machine?

[Cerpin Taxt]

I have a copy of Windows XP Home Edition running on VMWare server under Ubuntu Gutsy Gibbon.

I installed Avira AntiVir and it runs and updates fine, but I'm just wondering how necessary it is. I'm running Clam AV on Ubuntu, the host OS.

This system is one that I'm building for my mother, which is the reason I wanted to have a virtual XP installation for any apps that she absolutely MUST have and would not run under Linux.

So how necessary is my AntiVir installation on the virtual XP system?

 

[sciencewhiz]

Any virus in the VM won't affect the host system. The host system's AV won't detect viruses in the VM.

 

[DarkThinker]

Originally posted by: sciencewhiz
Any virus in the VM won't affect the host system. The host system's AV won't detect viruses in the VM.

Well, for the exception of VM's that have a network share with the host, but even in that case the host is Linux so no problemo, however if it were windows as host and on VM, then I would be cautious a bit.

 

[Cerpin Taxt]

Yeah thats kinda what I figured. I'm using bridged networking so the VM has its own IP on the network and everything. I'm going to leave AntiVir installed at least for the simple reason that the Windows Security won't always nag me about the lack of AV software. Then I'll just take periodic "snapshots" in VMWare so if I need to roll back it will be easy.

 

[Robor]

Being in a VM with bridged networking puts it on your network just like it was a separate machine so it could get infected and pass it on the same way. Of course, if she's going to be doing Email and web browsing from Ubuntu the XP VM is a lot less likely to get infected. IMO you still want virus and malware protection on the XP virtual machine (just in case).

Edit: Those 'nags' can be turned off. Go to Control Panel then Security Center and look at 'Change the way Security Center alerts me'.