Secrets Management¶

Proper secrets management is a critical component of the ZeroTrustKerberosLink security model. This guide outlines the best practices and implementation details for managing secrets within the system.

Overview¶

ZeroTrustKerberosLink handles several types of sensitive information:

Kerberos keytabs and tickets
AWS credentials
Session tokens
API keys
TLS certificates and private keys
Redis credentials
Database credentials

Each of these secrets requires careful handling to prevent unauthorized access or exposure.

Secrets Management Architecture¶

ZeroTrustKerberosLink implements a comprehensive secrets management architecture based on the following principles:

Least Privilege: Secrets are only accessible to components that require them
Encryption at Rest: All secrets are encrypted when stored
Encryption in Transit: All secrets are encrypted during transmission
Rotation: Regular rotation of secrets to minimize the impact of potential exposure
Auditing: Comprehensive logging of all access to secrets

Secrets Storage Solutions¶

Integrated Vault¶

ZeroTrustKerberosLink includes an integrated secure vault for storing secrets. The vault:

Uses AES-256-GCM encryption
Implements key rotation
Provides access controls
Logs all access attempts

External Vault Integration¶

For enterprise deployments, ZeroTrustKerberosLink integrates with external vault solutions:

HashiCorp Vault¶

secrets:
  provider: hashicorp
  config:
    url: https://vault.example.com:8200
    auth_method: approle
    role_id: ${VAULT_ROLE_ID}
    secret_id: ${VAULT_SECRET_ID}
    mount_path: zerotrust

AWS Secrets Manager¶

secrets:
  provider: aws
  config:
    region: us-west-2
    kms_key_id: alias/zerotrust-secrets

Azure Key Vault¶

secrets:
  provider: azure
  config:
    vault_url: https://zerotrust.vault.azure.net/
    tenant_id: ${AZURE_TENANT_ID}
    client_id: ${AZURE_CLIENT_ID}
    client_secret: ${AZURE_CLIENT_SECRET}

Encryption Key Management¶

Key Hierarchy¶

ZeroTrustKerberosLink implements a hierarchical key management system:

Master Key: Used to encrypt data encryption keys
Data Encryption Keys (DEKs): Used to encrypt actual secrets
Key Encryption Keys (KEKs): Used for secure key exchange

Key Rotation¶

Keys are rotated according to the following schedule:

Master Key: Every 90 days
Data Encryption Keys: Every 30 days
Session Keys: Every 24 hours

Hardware Security Module (HSM) Support¶

For enhanced security, ZeroTrustKerberosLink supports the use of Hardware Security Modules (HSMs):

encryption:
  hsm:
    enabled: true
    provider: aws-cloudhsm
    config:
      cluster_id: cluster-1234567
      hsm_ip: 10.0.0.1
      hsm_username: crypto-user
      hsm_password: ${HSM_PASSWORD}

Secure Configuration¶

Environment Variables¶

Sensitive configuration should be provided via environment variables rather than configuration files:

# Example secure environment variable configuration
export ZEROTRUST_AWS_SECRET_KEY=********
export ZEROTRUST_REDIS_PASSWORD=********
export ZEROTRUST_ENCRYPTION_KEY=********

Configuration File Security¶

When using configuration files:

Use restricted file permissions (600)
Store only encrypted sensitive values
Use separate files for sensitive configuration

Example secure configuration file:

# config.yaml
redis:
  password_file: /etc/zerotrust/secrets/redis_password

aws:
  credentials_provider: environment

encryption:
  key_file: /etc/zerotrust/secrets/encryption_key

Runtime Secret Handling¶

Memory Protection¶

ZeroTrustKerberosLink implements several memory protection mechanisms:

Secure Memory Allocation: Uses secure memory allocation to prevent swapping
Memory Wiping: Clears sensitive data from memory after use
Memory Encryption: Encrypts sensitive data in memory

Credential Caching¶

Temporary credentials are cached with the following security measures:

Encryption: All cached credentials are encrypted
Expiration: Cached credentials have a short time-to-live
Access Control: Cache access is restricted by user and process

Secure Credential Transmission¶

TLS Configuration¶

All credential transmission uses TLS with the following configuration:

tls:
  min_version: TLSv1.2
  ciphers:
    - TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_256_GCM_SHA384
    - TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_128_GCM_SHA256
  certificate: /etc/zerotrust/tls/server.crt
  private_key: /etc/zerotrust/tls/server.key

API Security¶

API endpoints that handle credentials implement additional security measures:

Request Signing: All requests must be signed
Rate Limiting: Strict rate limits to prevent brute force attacks
IP Restrictions: Optional IP-based access controls

AWS Credential Management¶

Temporary Credentials¶

ZeroTrustKerberosLink uses AWS STS to generate temporary credentials:

Short Duration: Default credential lifetime is 1 hour
Role Restrictions: Credentials are restricted to specific IAM roles
Condition Keys: Uses IAM condition keys to further restrict access

Cross-Account Access¶

For cross-account access, ZeroTrustKerberosLink implements:

Role Chaining: Securely chains role assumptions
External ID: Uses external IDs to prevent confused deputy problems
Account Restrictions: Limits which accounts can be accessed

Audit and Monitoring¶

Secret Access Logging¶

All access to secrets is logged with the following information:

User Identity: Who accessed the secret
Timestamp: When the secret was accessed
Access Type: Read, write, or delete
Resource: Which secret was accessed
Source IP: Where the request came from

Example log entry:

{
  "timestamp": "2025-05-01T12:34:56Z",
  "level": "INFO",
  "event": "secret_access",
  "user": "user@EXAMPLE.COM",
  "action": "read",
  "resource": "aws_credentials",
  "source_ip": "192.168.1.100",
  "success": true
}

Anomaly Detection¶

ZeroTrustKerberosLink includes anomaly detection for secret access:

Unusual Access Patterns: Detects access outside normal patterns
Geolocation Anomalies: Alerts on access from unusual locations
Volume Anomalies: Detects unusually high volumes of secret access

Incident Response¶

Secret Revocation¶

In case of a security incident, ZeroTrustKerberosLink provides mechanisms for immediate secret revocation:

# Revoke all active sessions
zerotrust-admin revoke-sessions --all

# Revoke specific AWS credentials
zerotrust-admin revoke-credentials --user user@EXAMPLE.COM

Breach Notification¶

ZeroTrustKerberosLink includes configurable breach notification:

security:
  breach_notification:
    enabled: true
    channels:
      - email:
          recipients:
            - security@example.com
      - slack:
          webhook_url: https://hooks.slack.com/services/T00000000/B00000000/XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
      - pagerduty:
          integration_key: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Compliance Considerations¶

Regulatory Compliance¶

ZeroTrustKerberosLink's secrets management is designed to comply with:

SOC 2
PCI DSS
HIPAA
GDPR
FedRAMP

Compliance Reporting¶

Automated compliance reports are available for secrets management:

# Generate a compliance report
zerotrust-admin compliance-report --standard soc2 --output report.pdf

Best Practices¶

Use External Vaults: For production environments, use an external vault solution
Implement Key Rotation: Regularly rotate all encryption keys
Enable HSM Support: Use HSMs for critical deployments
Monitor Secret Access: Set up alerts for unusual secret access
Limit Secret Access: Implement least privilege for secret access
Encrypt All Secrets: Never store secrets in plaintext
Use Short-lived Credentials: Minimize the lifetime of temporary credentials
Implement Multi-factor Authentication: Require MFA for accessing sensitive secrets
Regular Audits: Conduct regular audits of secret access
Secure Backup: Implement secure backup and recovery procedures for secrets

Implementation Examples¶

Secure AWS Credential Handling¶

from zerotrust_kerberos import SecretManager

# Initialize the secret manager
secret_manager = SecretManager()

# Securely retrieve AWS credentials
credentials = secret_manager.get_aws_credentials(role_arn="arn:aws:iam::123456789012:role/Developer")

# Use credentials (they will be automatically wiped from memory when out of scope)
with credentials as creds:
    # Use creds.access_key_id, creds.secret_access_key, creds.session_token
    pass  # Credentials are automatically wiped after this block

Secure Configuration Loading¶

from zerotrust_kerberos import ConfigLoader

# Load configuration securely
config = ConfigLoader.load(
    config_file="/etc/zerotrust/config.yaml",
    secrets_provider="hashicorp-vault",
    secrets_config={
        "url": "https://vault.example.com:8200",
        "auth_method": "approle",
        "role_id": os.environ.get("VAULT_ROLE_ID"),
        "secret_id": os.environ.get("VAULT_SECRET_ID")
    }
)

# Access configuration (sensitive values are automatically protected in memory)
redis_password = config.get_secret("redis.password")

Conclusion¶

Effective secrets management is essential for maintaining the security of ZeroTrustKerberosLink. By following the practices outlined in this guide, you can ensure that sensitive information is properly protected throughout its lifecycle.