Secret Management Best Practices

Secret Management Best Practices

Effective secret management requires organizational practices beyond technical controls. Secret classification helps apply appropriate protection levels based on sensitivity. Critical secrets might require HSM storage and multi-party authorization, while less sensitive secrets might use standard encryption. Classification drives technical control selection.

Secret lifecycle management ensures secrets are created, distributed, rotated, and destroyed according to policy. This includes defining standard validity periods, rotation schedules, and destruction procedures. Automated enforcement through operators or admission controllers ensures consistent application across all secrets.

Emergency access procedures balance security with operational needs. Break-glass processes provide controlled access to critical secrets during incidents. These procedures should include strong authentication, approval workflows, comprehensive logging, and post-incident review. Regular testing ensures procedures work when needed.