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🛡️ Introduction to TEE Technologies ​

Trusted Execution Environments (TEE) are the foundation of confidential computing, providing hardware-level security for sensitive applications and data processing. On the iExec platform, TEE technologies enable secure, privacy-preserving computation in a decentralized environment.

What is Confidential Computing? ​

Confidential Computing ensures that your data and code are protected even when running on computers you don't control. Think of it as having a secure vault inside any computer where your sensitive operations happen privately.

Key Benefits:

  • 🔒 Data Privacy: Your data stays encrypted and private during processing
  • 🛡️ Hardware Security: Special CPU features keep your data safe
  • 🌐 Trust Anywhere: Run securely on remote computers

Understanding TEE: The Foundation ​

What is TEE (Trusted Execution Environment)? ​

Think of a TEE as a secure vault inside your computer where sensitive operations happen. It's like having a private room that only authorized code can enter, and once inside, everything is protected from the outside world.

Real-world analogy: Imagine a bank vault inside a regular building. The building (your computer) can be accessed by many people, but the vault (TEE) has special security measures that keep its contents completely private and secure.

TEE vs Regular Computing ​

Regular ComputingTEE Computing
Code and data visible to OSCode and data encrypted and hidden
Vulnerable to system attacksProtected even from privileged access
No hardware security guaranteesHardware-level security protection
Like working in a public spaceLike working in a secure, private room

Visual Representation ​

Regular Computing:

TEE Computing:

How TEE Works ​

Core Principles ​

  1. Hardware Protection: Special CPU features create isolated, secure areas
  2. Memory Encryption: All data in the secure area is automatically encrypted
  3. Access Control: Only authorized code can enter the secure area
  4. Integrity Verification: The system can prove it's running the correct code

TEE Technology Evolution ​

TEE technologies have evolved to address different use cases:

First Generation: Application-Level Protection (Intel SGX) ​

  • Focus: Protecting specific parts of applications
  • Memory: Limited secure memory
  • Use Cases: Lightweight applications
  • iExec Support: ✅ Production-ready

Second Generation: Virtual Machine-Level Protection (Intel TDX) ​

  • Focus: Protecting entire virtual machines
  • Memory: Large secure memory space
  • Use Cases: Complex applications, AI workloads
  • iExec Support: 🔬 Experimental

What's Next? ​

Learn about specific TEE technologies:

Ready to build with TEE? Check out the practical guides: