Layer 3 (L3) - Execution Environment

Objective

Ensure workloads inherit platform policy and actually use the validated provider at runtime.

Responsibilities

• Admit only signed and attested images, VMs, and functions
• Resolve crypto calls to the validated provider present on the host or in the image
• Prevent non approved providers from being loaded

Common components

• Container runtimes and image registries
• Virtual machines and hypervisors
• Serverless platforms and admission controllers

Implementation guidance

• Use image signing and verification. Fail closed when the required provider is missing
• Scan SBOMs for unvalidated crypto libraries and block on admission
• Provide runtime checks that demonstrate the provider loaded and approved mode is set

Validation and evidence

• Admission controller policies and logs
• Runtime logs showing provider selection and self tests
• SBOMs for images and golden VM templates

Common pitfalls

• Including an unvalidated crypto library in a base image
• Allowing dynamic plugin resolution that bypasses the validated provider
• Not capturing runtime evidence that proves approved mode

Relationship to other AFIPS Layers

AFIPS Layer 3 Call Map

From	To	Why this edge exists	Typical operations	Evidence
L1	L3	Runtimes inherit platform policy	Admission rules, image signing and verification.	Admission controller logs
L3	L2	Prove the right provider is active	Startup self test pass, provider version.	Runtime logs, env pins