A company runs multiple virtual machines (VMs) on a single hypervisor host. The administrator wants to ensure that if one VM is compromised by malware, it cannot read the memory contents of other VMs running on the same host. Which hypervisor feature primarily provides this protection?

Resource pooling

Resource pooling allows the hypervisor to aggregate and allocate CPU, memory, and storage to VMs dynamically. It does not inherently prevent one VM from accessing another VM's memory; that requires separate isolation mechanisms.

Memory ballooning

Memory ballooning is a technique used by the hypervisor to reclaim unused memory from a VM by inflating a balloon driver inside the guest. It manages memory efficiency but does not provide isolation between VMs.

Virtual machine snapshots

Snapshots capture the state of a VM at a point in time for backup or rollback purposes. They do not enforce runtime boundaries between VMs and are unrelated to preventing memory access across VMs.

What does this 220-1101 question test?

Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: Virtual machine isolation — Virtual machine isolation is a fundamental security property of hypervisors. It ensures that each VM's memory and processes are separated at the hardware level, preventing one VM from accessing another VM's allocated memory without explicit inter-VM communication mechanisms. Hyper-V, ESXi, and other Type 1 hypervisors use hardware-assisted virtualization (e.g., Intel VT-x with Extended Page Tables) to enforce memory isolation. Resource pooling and memory overcommitment are resource management features, not security controls. Snapshots capture state but do not enforce ongoing isolation.

What should I do if I get this 220-1101 question wrong?

Then try more questions from the same exam bank and focus on understanding why the wrong options are tempting.