An apparatus including a processor comprising at least one core to execute instructions of a plurality of virtual machines and a virtual machine monitor; and a cryptographic engine comprising circuitry to protect data associated with the plurality of virtual machines through use of a plurality of private keys and an accessor key, wherein each of the plurality of private keys are to protect a respective virtual machine and the accessor key is to protect management structures of the plurality of virtual machines; and wherein the processor is to provide, to the virtual machine monitor, direct read access to the management structures of the plurality of virtual machines through the accessor key and indirect write access to the management structures of the plurality of virtual machines through a secure software module.