Cloud & Virtualisation Security (WM9PG-15)

I am the module lead and co-teach Cloud & Virtualisation Security (WM9PG-15) at the University of Warwick. This Master’s-level module explores the cyber security implications of virtualised systems, with particular emphasis on software containerisation technologies such as Docker, trust relationships across host and container environments, resource isolation, and Secure Software Lifecycle thinking in modern cloud and virtualised systems.

Current teaching

WM9PG-15 Cloud & Virtualisation Security

This module helps students understand how security properties are shaped by the context in which software runs — whether on a host, inside a container, within a virtual machine, or across a wider cloud environment. It examines the security relationships between hosts, containers, sibling containers, and the software executing within them, while also addressing how secure design, testing, deployment, maintenance, and evolution influence the overall security of these systems.

A strong emphasis is placed on practical learning. Students engage with containerisation technologies and the security controls that govern modern virtualised systems, while also developing the ability to reason critically about privilege, capability boundaries, hardening, vulnerability management, and secure configuration. The module is designed to help students move beyond abstract discussion and instead think clearly about how security must be implemented, validated, and maintained in real systems.

This module reflects the kind of teaching I value most: technically grounded, practically focused, and informed by professional experience. It gives students the opportunity to build both conceptual understanding and applied judgement, so they can engage confidently with contemporary cloud and virtualisation security challenges in academic, research, and industry settings.