Secret Rotation and Lifecycle Management

Secret Rotation and Lifecycle Management

Secret rotation prevents long-term secret compromise from causing persistent access. Automated rotation reduces operational burden while improving security. Applications must handle rotation gracefully without service disruption. Rotation schedules should balance security requirements with operational complexity. Emergency rotation procedures enable rapid response to suspected compromises.

Implementing graceful secret rotation requires application support for multiple valid secrets. Database connection pools should support credential refresh. API clients need ability to update authentication tokens. TLS certificates require overlap periods during rotation. Applications should log rotation events for troubleshooting without exposing secret values.

Secret lifecycle management extends beyond rotation to include creation, distribution, and destruction. Secret creation should use cryptographically secure methods. Distribution must maintain confidentiality and integrity. Destruction should ensure secrets cannot be recovered. Audit trails must track all lifecycle events for compliance and forensics.