Question about VMware?

I want to get it. where can i go? is it free? how to i use it when i want to? how do i easily infect it? Is this how people normally test AV/AS? What are the RAM/Processor requirements?

So for all of these questions, but i would like to know about this.

Can a mod or admin move this if it is in the wrong place? Thanks!

 

Search on vmware player. Its the free and it works very well. You will read that many people like VirtualBox but I have tried both and Vmware Player was much easier to use.

To see how to play with infections, search YouTube for mrizos. He runs malware-removal and he has many videos on Youtube testing antimalware. He uses VMWare Workstation, but it works the same.

Yes, this is how most people test AS/AV, however, there are other ways.

 

you can get vmware products from http://www.vmware.com

some of their products, like vmware player or vmware server are free, yes.

you load the management console (which may be a windows app or a web page depending on the product you're using), select the virtual machine you want to use and click the run/play button. the virtual machine will boot like any real physical machine.

assuming the malware is not VM-aware, the same way you'd infect a real machine. if it is VM-aware then a virtual machine isn't what you're looking for.

depends - what people, and what are they testing? if you're talking about doing detection testing then no, it's not - they use drive images instead of virtual machines.

the vmware engine doesn't have significant requirements, but the virtual machines you create may well have - that's somewhat dependent on how you configure the individual machines and how many you have running at the same time.

while chinook9 suggested vmware player (which is free), i would suggest vmware workstation.

in theory you need to purchase a license to use vmware workstation, but in reality you only need that license to play virtual machines through the workstation management console. vmware workstation includes vmware player so even without a license you will still be able to play virtual machines if you have workstation installed, and the lack of a license doesn't prevent you from using the other features of the workstation management console - such as the snapshot feature (which is really good in workstation).

 

and if it is anti vmware we can try some anti-anti vmware tactics

just a tip, keep vms defragged inside and out, the biggest 'problem' with vm performance is I/O

 

indeed - in fact, if you need serious performance from your VM's you'll probably want your virtual machines to be on a separate physical drive (not just a different partition) from your host operating system so that the VM and host OS don't compete for the same read/write head.

 

new I forgot to mention something

 

if it have vmware player, will it be the same as workstation? All i want to do is test antivirus and antispyware software.

 

the vmware player product is not the same as the vmware workstation product - workstation has more in it and can do more things; notably snapshots, which i think you'll find useful in your testing, as it will allow you to quickly revert to a previously known good state. that can save you a lot of time if used judiciously.

workstation includes the vmware player executable, though, so running the VMs can be identical from a usage point of view.

 

VMWare Workstation is expensive - $189. VMWare Player is free. VMWare Player will do what you want but I don't believe it will do a snapshot.

 

vmware workstation can be used without paying for a license because it includes vmware player. check my my previous posts in this thread.

 

Thanks for the correction. I had scanned your detailed post, but had not read it closely enough to understand exactly what you were saying.

I was planning on installing VMWare Player on my new machine but now I will download the Workstation and use it as you suggest.

Thanks, again.

 

All i want is a free virtual machine like VMware. All i want to do with it is to test the Antiviruses and antispywares. Nothing else. Where can i get what i need?

 

vmware.com - as was stated earlier. many of their tools are free.

 

Here is a link from where you can download VMplayer. I suggest you download this first and see if you like it and then download the much larger Vmware workstation.

 

Fyi VMWare Workstation is the most expensive of comparable virtualization products and maybe a little pricey for a home user. If you are eligible as a student or professor VMWare have an academic store where Workstation can be purchased from them directly at a reduced price.

VMWare Player and Server are free and very nice products. For testing avs with malware it would be very useful to have snapshots.

VBox is also a very nice and complete product which is free.

Parallels Desktop for Windows is under $80 and is excellent.

OT does anyone know if vbox can run limited(vmware can)

 

OR you could just use workstation without purchasing a license, as i suggested. that makes it free. it includes the binaries for player so you can still play VMs, but you also get the benefits of it's snapshot facilities.

 

1. What can i use a snapshot for?
2. What is VBox?
3. How would i easily infect it?

 

simple - set up a clean system and take a snapshot of it. do whatever you like to the system, screw it up however you want, and then go back to the snapshot to basically undo all the screwing up you did.

think of a snapshot as being like a picture of the system state at a particular point in time that you can return to whenever you want.

possibly/probably a contraction of the product name VirtualBox, which is an open source virtualization product. my experience with it (especially with regards to networking) hasn't been as positive as for vmware but your mileage may vary.

? the same way you'd infect a normal system. virtual machines are generally very close simulations of real machines.

 

One last thing. how would i easily infect my machine? i dont get infected often, so i wouldnt know. is there a site where i can download some malware and spyware and viruses and worms and all of that?

 

Snapshots can be taken auto or manually which enable you to go back an forth in your testing, example you could set up the machine with all your tools and run a particular malware, take a snapshot, revert to a clean snapshot and try another malware.

vbox

A screen shot may make it clearer.

 

There are domain lists and sites that host samples.

 

Oh, i forgot to mention. My OS is Windows XP, 32 bit with 1.25 GB RAM and Intel Pentium 4 2.4 GHz

 

And for the sample viruses, would i just google "sample virus"?

 

alright - i'm going to come out and say it: i don't think you should be doing the kind of testing you intend to do. you have repeatedly demonstrated that you are not experienced enough to do so safely, and any test you produce will be far inferior to tests produced by professional testing organizations.

but i'm not going to leave you with that dropped bomb. i want to know why it is you want to perform the tests you've hinted at? what are you trying to get out of it? if you can clearly state the needs you're ultimately trying to meet we might be able to help you fulfill your needs faster, safer, and with less work on your part.

 

I just want to test MBAM and SAS and a few other antimalware apps. also a few antivirus software. I want to do it because sometimes people i know get infected and want good protection. I guess its also because i think its sort of cool to test antimalware apps.