In the field of cybersecurity, the stakes are very high and at the center is the management of secrets, the fundamental pillar on which your security infrastructure rests. We all know the drill: Safeguarding API keys, connection strings, and certificates is non-negotiable. But let’s leave aside the pleasantries; this is not a simple “set it and forget it” scenario. It’s about protecting your secrets in an age where threats are transforming as quickly as technology itself.
We shed light on common practices that could lead to disaster, as well as tools and strategies to confidently address and overcome these challenges. Simply put, this is a starter guide for mastering secret management across different terrains.
The top 5 common mistakes in managing secrets
Okay, let’s delve into some common secrets management mistakes that can trip up even the most experienced teams:
- Hard coding secrets in code repositories: A classic mistake, coding secrets like API keys or passwords directly into code repositories is like leaving your house keys under the doormat. It’s convenient and it’s highly risky. Agile development environments are prone to this devastating mistake, as time-constrained developers may opt for convenience over security.
- Inadequate key rotation and revocation processes: Static credentials face an increasing risk of compromise as time goes on. Take, for example, a company that uses unchanged encryption keys for extended periods without rotation; this can act as a vulnerable gateway for attackers, particularly if these keys have previously been exposed in security incidents.
- The other side of the coin, excessive key rotation also causes operational problems. If a key is rotated with each login, it becomes difficult for multiple applications to access the key at the same time. Only the first application would gain access and subsequent applications would fail. This is counterproductive. You need to find the right interval for secret rotation.
- Storing secrets in public places or unsafe places: Storing sensitive information like database passwords in publicly accessible configuration files, perhaps in a Docker image or a public code repository, creates problems.
- Overprovisioning privileges for secrets: Giving excessive privileges for secrets is like giving each employee a master key to the entire office. Employees with more access than necessary could unintentionally or intentionally expose sensitive information, leading to data breaches or other security incidents.
3 Lesser Known Pitfalls in Storing and Managing Secrets
Unfortunately there are others…
- Improper management of the secrets lifecycle: Often overlooked, secret lifecycle management is a major pitfall to avoid. It involves creating and using secrets, updating them regularly, and finally retiring them. Poor lifecycle management can leave outdated or unused secrets that persist in the system, making them easy targets for attackers. For example, if not retired properly, a long-forgotten API key from a decommissioned project can provide an inadvertent backdoor into the company’s system.
- Bypass audit trails to access secrets: Yet another nuanced but consequential pitfall is the failure to recognize the importance of audit trails regarding covert access. Without a solid control mechanism, tracking who has accessed which secret and when becomes a daunting task. This oversight can prevent detection of unauthorized access to secrets. For example, the absence of audit trails may not alert us to unusual access patterns to sensitive secrets or to someone mass-downloading all secrets from the vault.
- Unable to encrypt Kubernetes secrets: We understand why the lack of encryption is a concern by seeing how secrets are created in the Kubernetes ecosystem. These secrets are often only Base64 encoded by default, which is just a hash that can simply be reset, a thin veil of security, far from strong encryption. This vulnerability opens the door to potential breaches if these secrets are accessed.
Encrypting secrets at rest improves security, and Kubernetes enables this through configurations such as the EncryptionConfiguration object, which specifies key materials for encryption operations on a per-node basis.
Remedies for secrets management errors
A proactive and strategic approach is no longer optional in addressing secrets management errors. Here are some of the key strategies to effectively remedy the pitfalls discussed above and be the keeper of your secrets:
- Inventory of Secrets: It is critical to know the exact number of secrets within your systems and where they exist. Most CISOs are unaware of this vital information and are therefore unprepared for a covert attack.
- Classification and enrichment of secrets: Not all secrets are the same. While some safeguard highly confidential data, others protect more routine operational information. Security approaches must recognize this distinction when addressing attacks on secrets. Achieving this requires the creation of comprehensive metadata for each secret, detailing the assets safeguarded, its priority level, authorized access, and other relevant details.
- Implement strong encryption: Strengthen your encryption practices: Encrypt sensitive data using strong cryptographic methods, especially secrets at rest and in transit.
- Improve access control: Strictly enforce the principle of least privilege. Ensure that access to secrets is strictly controlled and audited regularly. In Kubernetes, effective management of data access is done through RBAC, which assigns access based on user roles.
- Continuous monitoring and audits: Establish a robust monitoring system to track access to and use of secrets. Implement audit trails to record who accessed what data and when to help quickly detect and respond to any irregularities.
- Leverage automated secret tools: Use automated secrets management tools, which can include automated secret rotation and integration with identity management systems to simplify access control. Additionally, implement covert rotation to further improve your management practices.
- Review policies frequently: Stay informed about new threats and adapt your strategies to maintain a strong defense against evolving cybersecurity challenges.
Put an end to false positives
Minimizing false positives in secrets management is critical to supporting operational efficiency and allowing security teams to focus on genuine threats. Here are some practical measures to help you achieve this:
- Advanced detection algorithms: Using machine learning and context analysis of secrets it is possible to differentiate authentic secrets from false alarms, increasing the accuracy of detection systems.
- Advanced Scan Tools: Implementing solutions that combine multiple detection techniques, including regular expressions, entropy analysis, and keyword matching, can significantly mitigate false positives.
- Regular updates and feedback loops: Keeping scan tools updated with the latest models and incorporating false positive feedback helps refine the detection process.
- Tracking the use of secrets: Tools like Entro, which monitor covert usage throughout the supply and manufacturing chain, can identify suspicious behavior. This helps understand the risk context around each secret, further eliminating false positives. Such monitoring is critical to distinguish real threats from benign activity, ensuring security teams focus on real problems.
What a correct approach to secret management looks like
A comprehensive approach to secrets management transcends simple protective measures by integrating into an organization’s IT infrastructure. It begins with a fundamental understanding of what constitutes a “secret” and extends to how they are generated, stored, and accessed.
The correct approach involves integrating secrets management into the development lifecycle, ensuring that secrets are not an afterthought but a fundamental part of the system architecture. This includes using dynamic environments where secrets are not hard-coded but inserted at runtime, and where access is rigorously controlled and monitored.
As mentioned above, it’s essential to take inventory of every single secret within your organization and enrich each one with context about what resources they protect and who has access to them.
Vaults can be misconfigured to give users or identities more access than necessary or to allow them to perform risky activities such as exporting secrets from the vault. You need to monitor all secrets for these risks for an airtight defense.
Following best secrets management practices means creating a culture of security awareness, where every stakeholder is aware of the value and vulnerability of secrets. By taking a holistic and integrated approach, organizations can ensure that secrets management is robust, resilient and adaptable to the evolving cybersecurity landscape.
Parting thoughts
In navigating the intricate realm of secrets management, tackling challenges ranging from encrypting Kubernetes secrets to refining access controls is no easy task. Fortunately, Entro steps in as a full-context platform that can address these complexities, handle covert expansion, and execute intricate covert rotation processes, while providing valuable information for informed decision making.
Worried about false positives flooding your team? Entro’s advanced monitoring capabilities focus on real threats, eliminating the confusion of false alerts. Seamlessly incorporating proactive strategies, Entro offers a unified interface for comprehensive secret discovery, prioritization, and risk mitigation.
Ready to revolutionize your approach to secret management and say goodbye to worries? Book a demo to explore the transformative impact of Entro on your organisation’s practices.