[sliverstorm]

I think it's fair to say that the greatest cloud risk isn't actively and persistently hostile providers - mostly because that sounds like an almost hopeless task.

Definitely agree. I know we like our security systems impervious to anyone and everyone, be they script kiddie or the entire NSA. However if you hand your machine over to someone else to run, (in either VM guest or box form), I think you need to acknowledge that you are incontrovertibly accepting slight vulnerability to the colo/VM host.