A confidential VM is a virtual machine (VM) that uses hardware-based security technologies in protecting the data and code running inside of it from unauthorized access or tampering. Even privileged insiders as the cloud provider or system administrator. Confidential VMs leverage trusted execution environments (TEEs), which are isolated and encrypted enclaves within the processor, to ensure that only trusted code and data can access and manipulate the confidential information stored inside them. In this article, you will be introduced to what a confidential virtual machine is and how to create Confidential VMs in Azure. Other useful articles can be viewed here: Enable Two-Factor Authentication for SSH in Linux and How to Install and Configure Jenkins on Windows 11 and Reasons why the BitLocker Recovery Mode Prompt can be prompted?How to Retrieve Your Bitlocker Recovery Key in Your Microsoft Account and How to determine the Remote Desktop Client App Version
Benefits of Confidential Virtual Machines
Below are some benefits of Confidential Virtual Machines (VMs).
Stronger Security: Confidential VMs protect sensitive data and workloads with hardware-based encryption and a Trusted Execution Environment (TEE). This reduces data breaches, unauthorized access and tampering by privileged employees.
Compliance and regulations: Confidential VM help organizations comply with privacy and compliance regulations (GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI-DSS) as they require strict security controls for handling sensitive data. By deploying Confidential VMs, organizations can demonstrate their commitment to privacy and security.
Versatility: Confidential VMs are adaptable and useful across a wide range of sectors and applications, as they are used in a variety of sensitive workloads, including data analytics, machine learning, financial services, healthcare, and government.
Performance: When operating in encrypted settings, Confidential VMs are made to deliver high-performance computing with little overhead and latency. They are therefore perfect for demanding tasks that demand both security and efficiency.Confidential VMs offer a strong and secure platform for delicate data and workloads in the cloud. Confidential VMs help businesses take advantage of Cloud Computing by preserving the privacy and security of customers’ data.
Steps To Create a Confidential Virtual Machines
1: On the top left-hand side of the portal, click on create a resource button
2. In the search bar, type “confidential VM” and select “Confidential VM” from the search results and click create on it for options
3. Start with a preconfigured template
4. select your workload type
5. On the “Create a Confidential VM” page, select your project details which include your desired subscription and resource group.
6. Enter your instance details, these include the VM name, region and availability option, image
7. Enter your Admin details
8. Enter your port rules
9. Review to begin validation
10. Create to begin the deployment & wait for the deployment to be completed
11. Click on resource to access the VM when deployment completes
12. Check out the details of the VM
13. Connect if you need to. The port rule was ssh, click on the connect button and paste the number 4 into your PowerShell. The format is ssh username@ipaddress. An example is shown below
ssh techdivm@74.235.144.233
Determine the hardware information for Confidential VMs
14. Hardware info
Summary of Confidential VM
A confidential VM is like every other VMs you know. It protects the data and workload with enhanced hardware-based security features. To create one, access to the Azure marketplace has to be established by clicking on create a resource and searching with the keyword confidential VM. The steps to create one have been outlined in this article.
I hope you found this blog post helpful. In this guide, you have learned how to create Confidential VMs in Azure. If you have any questions, please let me know in the comment session.