Secure access to a virtual machine

A remote server comprising:

• at least one processor;
• and
• a memory communicatively coupled to the at least one processor, wherein the memory comprises executable code stored thereon such that the at least one processor, upon executing the executable code:
• dispenses virtual machine instance via a hypervisor to a distributed computing system comprising a plurality of interconnected computing devices, such that at least one of the computing devices implements the virtual machine instance;
• filters a request for access to the virtual machine instance based on access privileges of a user among a plurality of users accessing the remote server before the request is processed through a transfer protocol,
• wherein the filtering comprises, in response to a determination that the user has access to the remote server and not the virtual machine instance, restricting the user's access to the virtual machine instance based on credentials provided by the user upon accessing the remote server;
• and
• establishes a trusted relationship with the virtual machine instance implemented on the at least one of the computing devices;
• wherein the at least one processor establishes the trusted relationship through public-key cryptography comprising:
• associating a public key with the virtual machine instance,
• associating a private key with the remote server;
• and
• maintains the private key in a secured storage location.

A computer program product for providing secure access to a virtual machine instance on a distributed computing system, the computer program product comprising:

• a computer readable storage medium having computer readable code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code to, when executed by a processor:
• dispense a virtual machine instance within a hypervisor from a remote server to a computing device;
• establish a trusted relationship between the remote server and the virtual machine instance implemented on the computing device;
• provide a user with access to the virtual machine instance from remote server based on the trusted relationship without further authentication credentials from the user, wherein the trusted relationship is established with public-key cryptography, the computer readable program code further to, when executed by the processor:
• associate a public key with the virtual machine instance;
• associate a private key with the remote server;
• and
• maintain the private key in a secured storage location;
• and
• filter a request for access to the virtual machine instance based on access privileges of a user among a plurality of users accessing the remote server comprising restricting the user's access to the virtual machine instance based on credentials provided by the user upon accessing the remote server in response to a determination that the user has access to the remote server and not the virtual machine instance.