Patent ID: 8910155

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for inserting endpoint management agents into virtual machines, at least a portion of the method being performed by a computing system comprising at least one processor, the method comprising: selecting a process of a virtual machine with one or more credentials that allow the process to perform an endpoint management task on the virtual machine, wherein a process space of the virtual machine comprises the process; hijacking the process of the virtual machine by: interrupting the process of the virtual machine as the process is running by causing execution to transfer from the process of the virtual machine to an agent-insertion module that executes outside the process space of the virtual machine by: inserting, into an exception handler memory location of the virtual machine, one or more computer-executable instructions configured to facilitate transfer of control from the virtual machine to the agent-insertion module; triggering an exception during execution of the virtual machine to cause the one or more computer-executable instructions in the exception handler memory location to be executed; obtaining control from the virtual machine after the one or more computer-executable instructions execute; injecting, via the agent-insertion module, an endpoint management agent into the virtual machine, wherein hijacking the process of the virtual machine causes the endpoint management agent to assume the one or more credentials of the process; performing the endpoint management task by causing the endpoint management agent to execute within the process space of the virtual machine.