Analyzing the security of Windows 7 and Linux for cloud computing

We review and analyze the major security features and concerns in deploying modern commodity operating systems such as Windows 7 and Linux 2.6.38 in a cloud computing environment. We identify the security weaknesses and open challenges of these two operating systems when deployed in the cloud environment. In particular, we examine and compare various operating system security features which are critical in providing a secure cloud. These security features include authentication, authorization and access control, physical memory protection, privacy and encryption of stored data, network access and firewalling capabilities, and virtual memory.