IP Library Granted Patent US 12,386,972
Granted Patent B2
US 12,386,972 · App. 17/840,848 · Granted Aug 12, 2025

Cluster security based on virtual machine content

Inventor: Shailaja Mallya (Bangalore, IN)
Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
G06F21/577G06F21/6218
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,386,972
App. No.
17/840,848
Granted
Aug 12, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A cluster is scanned. The cluster includes one or more virtual machines. A first content file change is detected based on the scan of the cluster. The first content file change is to a first content file. The first content file is located on a first virtual machine related to the cluster. A content-based security level of the cluster is determined based on the detection of the first content file change. The determined content-based security level of the cluster is compared to a security level standard of the cluster. A security gap is identified based on the comparison of the determined content-based security level to the security level standard of the cluster. In response to the identification of the security gap, an update to the security settings of the cluster is performed.

Claims (44)

1. A method comprising:

scanning, by a first computer system, a cluster including a plurality of virtual machines;

detecting, based on the scanning the cluster of virtual machines, a first content change of the cluster that includes at least one of:

an update to data of at least one file on at least a first one of the virtual machines,

adding or removing at least one file from the first one of the virtual machines, and

an addition of at least one virtual machine to the cluster or a removal of at least one virtual machine from the cluster;

determining, in response to the detecting of the first content change, a content-based security level of the cluster;

comparing the determined content-based security level of the cluster to a security level standard of the cluster;

determining a difference between the determined content-based security level and the security level standard; and

performing, in response to determining the difference, an update to a security setting of the cluster.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the performing of the update to the security setting of the cluster includes updating a security setting to a same level for each of the virtual machines of the cluster.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the performing the update to the security setting of the cluster includes updating a security setting of a virtual machine of the cluster other than the first virtual machine.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the scanning of the cluster includes monitoring for a given virtual machine to be added to the cluster, and wherein the first virtual machine is added to the cluster.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first content change is changing a sharing permission of the at least one file.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the scanning of the cluster includes monitoring for a given virtual machine to be removed from the cluster, and wherein the first virtual machine is removed from the cluster.

7. A system, the system comprising:

a memory, the memory containing one or more instructions; and

a processor, the processor communicatively coupled to the memory, the processor, in response to reading the one or more instructions, configured to:

scan a cluster including a plurality of virtual machines;

detect, based on the scanning the cluster of virtual machines, a first content change of the cluster that includes at least one of

an update to data of at least one file on at least a first one of the virtual machines,

adding or removing at least one file from the first one of the virtual machines, and

an addition of at least one virtual machine to the cluster or a removal of at least one virtual machine from the cluster;

determine, in response to the detecting of the first content change, a content-based security level of the cluster;

compare the determined content-based security level of the cluster to a security level standard of the cluster;

determining a difference between the determined content-based security level and the security level standard; and

perform, in response to determining the difference, an update to a security setting of the cluster.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein performing the update to the security setting of the cluster includes updating a security setting to a same level for each of the virtual machines of the cluster.

9. The system of claim 7 , wherein the performing of the update to the security setting of the cluster includes updating a security setting of a virtual machine of the cluster other than the first virtual machine.

10. The system of claim 7 , wherein the scan of the cluster includes monitoring for a given virtual machine to be added to the cluster, and wherein the first virtual machine is added to the cluster.

11. A computer program product, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions configured to:

scan, by a first computer system, a cluster including a plurality of virtual machines;

detect, based on the scanning the cluster of virtual machines, a first content change of the cluster that includes at least one of:

an update to data of at least one file on at least a first one of the virtual machines,

adding or removing at least one file from the first one of the virtual machines, and

an addition of at least one virtual machine to the cluster or a removal of at least one virtual machine from the cluster;

determine, in response to the detecting the first content change, a content-based security level of the cluster;

compare the determined content-based security level of the cluster to a security level standard of the cluster;

determining a difference between the determined content-based security level and the security level standard; and

perform, in response to determining the difference, an update to a security setting of the cluster.

12. The computer program product of claim 11 , wherein performing the update to the security setting of the cluster includes updating a security setting to a same level for each of the virtual machines of the cluster.

13. The computer program product of claim 11 , wherein the performing the update to the security setting of the cluster includes updating a security setting of a virtual machine of the cluster other than the first virtual machine.

14. The computer program product of claim 11 , wherein the scanning of the cluster includes monitoring for a given virtual machine to be added to the cluster, and wherein the first virtual machine is added to the cluster.

15. The computer program product of claim 11 , wherein the first content change is changing a sharing permission of the at least one file.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 15, 2022
From: MALLYA, SHAILAJA
To: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 060208/0683 →
Continuity (2)
Continuation 16691804 · Nov 22, 2019
Related Publication 20220309167A1 · Sep 29, 2022
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