VIRTUAL MACHINE ~ Can Guest OS become Infected Through Host OS ? ? ?

[KIJ123]

VIRTUAL MACHINE ~ Can Guest OS become Infected Through Host OS ? ? ?

If I setup and use a virtual machine running/containing both a Host OS and a guest OS ... do they remain completely separate entities when operating one or the other?

My main concern is Virus related ... if for instance I'm Running Windows 7 as the host and XP as the guest and I get the host OS infected, will the guest XP OS also contract it by default because it is operating on the same disk? . . . same question applies vice~versa

 

[casper1973]

The Guest OS won't simply become infected because the Host OS is infected.

However if they are on the same network, which is usually the case, the infection could spread over the network connection. It could also spread through any shared folders you have between the two.