Confidential computing is a concept in the field of data security that focuses on **protecting data in use.** Traditional data security strategies often focus on protecting data at rest (when it's stored) and data in transit (when it's moving from one place to another), but confidential computing adds another layer of security by protecting data while it's being processed. This is typically achieved through the use of **Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs)**, also known as **secure enclaves**, which are secure areas of a processor. Data is encrypted at rest and in transit, and it's only decrypted inside the secure enclave for processing. This means even if a system is compromised, the data being processed is inaccessible and remains confidential, because it's only decrypted in a secure part of the system that the attacker can't reach.