# Generate confidential-container enforcement policy through the supported tooling

> Can a handwritten enforcement policy substitute for generated policy on confidential Azure Container Instances?

- Canonical URL: https://update.dsesecurity.com/updates/dse-20260909-453-generate-confidential-container-enforcement-policy-through-the-supported-tooling/
- Publisher: Detection Systems & Engineering (DSE Security)
- Author: DSE Security Editorial Team
- Published: 2026-09-10T00:24:23+00:00
- Modified: 2026-09-10T02:08:04+00:00
- Last reviewed by DSE: 2026-09-09
- Resource type: Guide
- DSE priority: Information
- Topics: Cybersecurity, Networks & Infrastructure
- Reading time: 2 minutes

## What you need to know

Can a handwritten enforcement policy substitute for generated policy on confidential Azure Container Instances?

## Potentially affected

Use this check when preparing a confidential ACI container group. Confirm the deployment's current platform prerequisites and distinguish its generated enforcement artifact from a general description of the application's security requirements.

## DSE recommendation

Preserve the generator inputs and output as one reviewed deployment artifact.

## Article

## Source facts

Confidential Azure Container Instances can run Linux containers in a hardware-backed trusted execution environment. Their confidential computing enforcement policy specifies which components may run in the container group, and the runtime enforces it. Microsoft requires the Azure CLI confcom extension to generate these policies; manually created policies are not supported. The extension takes an ARM template and produces an encoded policy for the group definition. [Microsoft Learn](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-instances/container-instances-confidential-overview).

## Applicability

Use this check when preparing a confidential ACI container group. Confirm the deployment’s current platform prerequisites and distinguish its generated enforcement artifact from a general description of the application’s security requirements.

## DSE recommendation

Preserve the generator inputs and output as one reviewed deployment artifact. Have the application owner identify the intended components in the template and review what the generated policy permits. Run the documented generation process after an approved component change instead of hand-editing the enforcement output to make deployment pass. Keep policy generation, deployment review and any separate attestation or key-release requirements explicit in the release record.

## Verification

In an approved test deployment, verify the actual template, generator invocation and policy attached to the group. Exercise an allowed workload and the agreed prohibited-component case, retaining the enforcement outcome. If the proposed policy cannot be reproduced through the supported tool, leave the deployment unresolved. Do not treat memory encryption alone as evidence that the intended component policy was generated and applied.

## Official references

[Microsoft Learn: Confidential containers on Azure Container Instances](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-instances/container-instances-confidential-overview).

## Primary reference

- Name: Confidential containers on Azure Container Instances - Azure Container Instances | Microsoft Learn
- Authority: Microsoft Learn
- URL: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-instances/container-instances-confidential-overview
- Source publication date: Not stated by the source

## Citation and use

Preferred citation: “Generate confidential-container enforcement policy through the supported tooling,” DSE Security, https://update.dsesecurity.com/updates/dse-20260909-453-generate-confidential-container-enforcement-policy-through-the-supported-tooling/
Publishing principles: https://update.dsesecurity.com/updates/dse-updates-editorial-methodology/
Usage and citation policy: https://update.dsesecurity.com/usage/
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