What is Azure Attestation?
Azure Attestation is a unified service for remotely verifying the trustworthiness of a platform and the integrity of the software running on it. The service validates evidence from Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs) such as Intel SGX enclaves, AMD SEV-SNP based Confidential VMs, Virtualization-based Security (VBS) enclaves, and TPM-based platforms (including Trusted Launch), and issues signed attestation tokens.
Attestation is a core building block for Azure Confidential Computing: only after hardware and software integrity have been verified are keys released, for example from Azure Key Vault or Managed HSM.
Core Features
- Attestation for Intel SGX enclaves (ECDSA-based)
- Attestation for AMD SEV-SNP Confidential VMs and Confidential Containers
- Attestation for Virtualization-based Security (VBS) enclaves
- TPM-based attestation, including for Trusted Launch of Azure VMs
- Configurable, custom attestation policies
- REST API and SDKs for integration into your own applications
Typical Use Cases
Confidential Computing: Verifying that workloads actually run inside a secure enclave or Confidential VM before sensitive data or keys are released.
Boot integrity: Monitoring Secure Boot and vTPM measurements on Trusted Launch VMs to detect bootkit and rootkit infections.
Multi-party computation: Establishing trust between multiple parties that want to jointly process data in a secure environment.
Regulatory compliance: Providing auditors with proof that sensitive computations take place in a verified secure environment.
Benefits
- Free service with no separate usage fee
- Hardware-based trust anchor across multiple TEE technologies
- Standardized attestation tokens in JWT format
- Runs itself inside a protected environment (SGX enclave or SEV-SNP based Confidential VM), keeping Microsoft operationally out of the trusted computing base
Frequently Asked Questions
What is checked during attestation?
The service checks the hardware signature of the TEE, the loaded code (enclave or firmware measurement), and the platform configuration against a configured policy. The result is a signed JWT token confirming trustworthiness.
Do I need special hardware?
Yes, attestation requires hardware with TEE support, such as Confidential VMs with AMD SEV-SNP, Intel CPUs with SGX, or systems with VBS enclaves. For TPM attestation, a standard TPM 2.0 chip is sufficient, for example for Trusted Launch VMs.
What does Azure Attestation cost?
Azure Attestation itself is free to use; there is no separate fee for the attestation service. Costs may still apply for resources you use alongside it, such as Confidential VMs, Key Vault, or Managed HSM.
How do I integrate attestation into my application?
Using the REST API or available SDKs, the application calls the attestation service and receives a JWT token that can be passed to third parties (relying parties), for example to unlock keys stored in Key Vault.
Integration with innFactory
As a Microsoft Solutions Partner, innFactory supports you with Azure Attestation: Confidential Computing architecture, policy design, and secure application development.
Note: All product information on this page has been compiled with care, but is provided without guarantee and may be outdated or incomplete. Cloud services evolve rapidly — features, pricing, SLAs, and availability change frequently. Authoritative and up-to-date information can only be found on the official product page of Azure (official documentation). This page does not represent an offer by Azure.
