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Table Of Contents
Securing Virtual Machines with Virtual Trusted Platform
Module
The Virtual Trusted Platform Module (vTPM) feature lets you add a TPM 2.0 virtual cryptoprocessor to a
virtual machine.
Virtual Trusted Platform Module Overview
vTPMs perform cryptographic coprocessor capabilities in software. When added to a virtual machine, a
vTPM enables the guest operating system to create and store keys that are private. These keys are not
exposed to the guest operating system itself. Therefore, the virtual machine attack surface is reduced.
Usually, compromising the guest operating system compromises its secrets, but enabling a vTPM greatly
reduces this risk. These keys can be used only by the guest operating system for encryption or signing.
With an attached vTPM, a third party can remotely attest to (validate) the identity of the firmware and the
guest operating system.
You can add a vTPM to either a new virtual machine or an existing virtual machine. A vTPM depends on
virtual machine encryption to secure vital TPM data. When you configure a vTPM, VM encryption
automatically encrypts the virtual machine files but not the disks. You can choose to add encryption
explicitly for the virtual machine and its disks.
You can also back up a virtual machine enabled with a vTPM. The backup must include all virtual
machine data, including the *.nvram file. If your backup does not include the *.nvram file, you cannot
restore a virtual machine with a vTPM. Also, because the VM home files of a vTPM-enabled virtual
machine are encrypted, ensure that the encryption keys are available at the time of a restore.
A vTPM does not require a physical Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0 chip to be present on the ESXi
host. However, if you want to perform host attestation, an external entity, such as a TPM 2.0 physical
chip, is required. For more details, see the vSphere Security documentation.
Note By default, no storage policy is associated with a virtual machine that has been enabled with a
vTPM. Only the virtual machine files (VM Home) are encrypted. If you prefer, you can choose to add
encryption explicitly for the virtual machine and its disks, but the virtual machine files would have already
been encrypted.
Requirements for vTPM
To use a vTPM, your vSphere environment must meet these requirements:
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Virtual machine requirements:
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EFI firmware
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Hardware version 14
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Component requirements:
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vCenter Server 6.7.
vSphere Virtual Machine Administration
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