Which of the following is a characteristic of virtual machines?

Virtual machines are designed to abstract the underlying hardware, which provides the characteristic of hardware independence. This means that a virtual machine can run on different types of physical hardware without requiring modifications. The virtualization layer acts as an intermediary between the operating system and the physical hardware, allowing the same virtual machine image to be deployed across various environments. This flexibility enables easier management, scaling, and portability of applications.

In contrast, cloud dependence refers to the reliance on cloud services, which may not apply to all virtual machine implementations. Physical entanglement implies a direct connection or dependency on physical hardware, which contradicts the essence of virtualization. Increased latency usually relates to network performance issues and does not inherently characterize virtual machines; rather, it can be a result of configuration or underlying hardware limitations. Thus, hardware independence stands out as a fundamental characteristic of virtual machines.