Trusted Platform Module (TPM)

A dedicated physical computing device that safeguards and manages digital keys for strong authentication and provides cryptoprocessing. Unlike a TPM, which is typically a single chip on a motherboard, an HSM is often an external appliance or PCIe card designed for high-throughput cryptographic operations. HSMs are FIPS 140-2 Level 3 certified and prevent private key exfiltration by ensuring all cryptographic operations occur within the secure hardware boundary. They are critical for enterprise Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) and code signing.

A mechanism by which a host authenticates its hardware and software configuration to a remote verifier. The TPM generates a cryptographic signature over Platform Configuration Registers (PCRs), which contain hashes of the boot sequence and loaded firmware. This allows a relying party to verify that an agent is running in a trusted execution environment before provisioning secrets. It is the foundational process for establishing workload identity in zero-trust architectures.

A hardware-based security paradigm that protects data in use by performing computation in a hardware-based Trusted Execution Environment (TEE). While a TPM secures keys and measures boot integrity, confidential computing extends protection to active data processing, shielding it from the host OS, hypervisor, and even cloud providers. Technologies include Intel SGX, AMD SEV, and ARM CCA. This is essential for multi-party data collaboration and securing agentic workloads in untrusted environments.

A hardware security standard that layers boot state measurements into a compound device identifier, enabling secure key derivation and attestation without requiring a full TPM. DICE is designed for resource-constrained IoT devices and microcontrollers. It creates a Compound Device Identifier (CDI) by cryptographically combining a unique device secret with the hash of the first mutable code executed. This provides a lightweight, standards-based alternative for establishing hardware-rooted identity.

A hardware virtualization feature that creates an isolated region of memory for storing sensitive security assets, protecting them from malware running in the normal operating system. VBS uses the hypervisor to enforce a Virtual Trust Level (VTL) separation. Credential Guard, a feature built on VBS, isolates user credentials in a protected virtualized environment, preventing credential theft attacks like Pass-the-Hash. This leverages TPM-backed integrity measurements to ensure the VBS environment itself hasn't been tampered with.

A set of open-source standards for securely identifying software systems in dynamic and heterogeneous environments. SPIFFE issues a cryptographically verifiable identity document called a SPIFFE Verifiable Identity Document (SVID) to each workload. This enables workload identity without shared secrets. When combined with TPM-based hardware attestation, SPIFFE can bind a software identity to a specific, verified hardware root of trust, creating a robust foundation for Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA) in agentic systems.