Key Management

Lifecycle Best
Practices

Release Date: 12/19/2023

Cloud Key
Management
working group
Document Table of Contents

Deployment of a Key
1 Key Management Refresher 5
Management Lifecycle Solution

Deep Dive into the Key Software-based HSM Overview

2 6
Lifecycle Deployment Approach

Key Lifecycle Phases and

3 7 Industry Specific Differences
Features

Planning for a Key Management

4 8 On-Premises Considerations
Lifecycle Solution

2
 Overview Who is it for?

• A guideline for enterprise technologists and • Enterprise and security architects,

service providers to manage cryptographic keys • Information security specialists,
effectively and securely throughout the lifecycle, • Compliance and regulatory experts,
• Legal team,
protect digital assets and maintain regulatory
• Developers,
compliance. • System and network administrators, and
• Operations specialists.

• Provides guidance, procedures, and important Also, security leaders and managers who want
considerations for the secure management of to understand the overview of the key
cryptographic keys at every stage of the key management phases and need to make
lifecycle, regardless of the type of encryption technology decisions related to key
algorithms or keys. management.

Consumers from all industries, government,

and public sectors involved in cryptographic
activities to secure the confidentiality,
availability, and integrity of digital assets.

3
 Key Management Refresher
KMS Overview
Encryption Overview
● Cloud Native KSM
• Cryptographic ● Cloud Service Provider Managed Keys
Algorithms and Keys ● Customer Managed Keys
• Crypto-Agility ● Customer Held Keys

4
HSM Overview

5
 Dive into Each Item in the Key Management Lifecycle and
Features

Key Roles and Responsibilities:

• KMS Administrator: • Auditor:
- Manages and configures the KMS system - Conducts regular audits to ensure compliance and identify vulnerabilities
- Ensures proper access controls and permissions for key management - Reviews key management practices for security and efficiency

• Key Generator: • Compliance Officer:

- Generates cryptographic keys with sufficient entropy. - Ensures that KMS aligns with relevant regulatory requirements and
- Ensures keys are generated using approved algorithms and lengths standards
- Maintains compliance with data protection and privacy regulations
• Key Custodian:
- Safely stores and manages keys throughout their lifecycle • System Administrator:
- Handles key distribution, rotation, and destruction - Manages and maintains the KMS infrastructure, including hardware and
software components
• Key User: - Ensures the availability and reliability of the KMS system.
- Uses keys for cryptographic operation in authorized applications
- Complies with key usage policies and security best practices

6
 Planning for a Key Management Lifecycle Solution
• Technical Considerations: ● Financial Considerations for On-Prem & Multi-Cloud:
• Design a key management strategy to define the purpose ○ Initial Set-up costs
of the keys and the consumers' capabilities.
○ Operating expenses
• Effective generation of keys to avoid predictivity
• Assessment of encryption algorithms and key sizes before ○ Scalability costs
planning for use. ○ Vendor lock-in
• Selection of correct encryption algorithm and key size. ○ Data transfer costs
• Improvement of the security of the cryptosystem ○ Compliance and regulatory costs
• Multiple regions and availability zones employment to ○ Disaster Recovery and Redundancy
improve availability and fulfill disaster and recovery ○ Training and Skill Development
requirements for cloud-based systems. ○ Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) Analysis
• Safeguard and recover the keys plan in case of loss or ○ Economic models
damage. ○ ROI and business value.
• Secure transport mechanisms while accessing the KMS and
keys.
• Logging, monitoring, and reporting available in the KMS
solution. • Best Practices for the Implementation:
• Integration with other required systems. ○ Pilot project
○ Key stakeholders and IT personnel
• Operational Considerations: ○ Comprehensive testing during the pilot phase
• Physical security ○ Scaling up the implementation
• Use of Hardware Security Modules.
○ Continuous monitoring and adaptation
• Take advantage of the key management services offered by
multiple cloud service providers. ○ Iterative improvement.
• Key incident response plan.

7
 Deployment of a Key Management Lifecycle Solution

Hardware-Based HSM Deployment Approach. Operations and Maintenance:

• Deployment Approach for HSM • Change management process and plan
• Deployment in the cloud. • System compatibility, scalability and integration
• Hybrid environment • Security requirements
• HSM-as-a-service mode • Pilot or small-scale deployments for feedback
• Software-Based HSM Overview Deployment Approach • Testing to existing systems
• Deployment Approach for Software-Based HSM with Cloud • Documentation of figuration settings , version control
Service Provider Keys and customization.

Deployment Considerations: Auditing Requirements:

• Identity and access management. • Compliance
• Network security • Logging
• Auditing - Logged source
- Logged activities
• Integrations and protocols
- Logged contents
• Key management interoperability protocol (KMIP)
- Log integrity and renetion
• Availability - Log monitoring
• Scalability • Preparation
• Security review - Architecture
• Trusted computing - Documentation
• Testing and validation • Deployment and management

8
 On-Premises Considerations

• Physical Control • Security Controls

• Data Sovereignty and Residency Requirements • Integration with Existing Infrastructure

• Latency and Performance • Customization and Flexibility

• Redundancy and Availability • Auditability and Compliance

• Scalability • Risk Mitigation
• Maintenance and Patching • Data Privacy
• Support Staff • Organizational Policies
• Cost
• Hybrid Deployments

9
 Industry Specific Differences

1 Financial - Payment Card Industry - Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS)

2 Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)

3 Defence and military sectors

4 The NATO standard for secure communication protocols and cryptographic techniques

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Cloud Key Management Other publications:

working group ● Key Management in Cloud

Services

CSA page: ● Recommendations for using a

https://cloudsecurityalliance.org/research/working-groups/clou Customer Controlled Key Store
d-key-management/
● Cloud Key Management System
Circle community: with External Origin Key
https://circle.cloudsecurityalliance.org/community-home1?com
munitykey=7e44948d-7698-4471-994b-33ea8766b5de ● Recommendations for Adopting
a Cloud-Native Key
Management Service

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