Understanding the principles behind effective encryption key management

Unfortunately, it can be difficult to keep encryption keys in check. Often, keys represent a major weakness in otherwise effective encryption strategies. Digital encryption key management addresses these concerns, ensuring that keys are properly generated, distributed, stored, and rotated to maintain their security over time.

Understanding encryption key basics

Encryption keys allow encryption to fulfill its promise of safeguarding sensitive data while still ensuring that the right people can access critical information. These keys make it possible to encrypt or decrypt data as needed — and ultimately, they determine whether encryption strategies reach their full potential.

What is encryption?

Encryption is a secure method used to protect digital data. It encrypts information (initially known as plaintext) so that only authorized users (specifically, those equipped with relevant keys) have the ability to decrypt it. Once encrypted, the plaintext becomes ciphertext, which is unreadable to unauthorized individuals. Encryption relies on complex algorithms, scrambling data so that it remains inaccessible to those who lack the private keys required for decryption.

Why encryption matters in enterprises

Regardless of industry, today's enterprises are increasingly involved in the business of data. By collecting and analyzing relevant data, these organizations can gain helpful insights that allow them to better tailor their products or services to meet the unique needs of their clients or customers. Gathering information can also streamline important processes such as completing transactions online.

Unfortunately, many risks accompany this effort. Even well-protected businesses are vulnerable to cyberattacks and major breaches, which can leave customers' sensitive data vulnerable. If this data is accessed, it can harm customers and could also lead to significant reputational and financial damage among targeted enterprises. This is where cryptography comes in—it provides a framework of secure techniques to protect information, with encryption being one of its most critical components. Cryptography uses encryption to transform sensitive information into unreadable formats, ensuring that only authorized parties can access it, thereby shielding enterprises and their customers from potential security threats.

Additionally, encryption and proper key management help organizations meet critical data security regulations such as GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI DSS, ensuring compliance while safeguarding sensitive information.

Understanding the encryption key management lifecycle

Encryption key management determines how cryptographic keys are created, stored, and protected. This lifecycle echoes the similar practice of certificate lifecycle management (CLM) but is tailored to the specific opportunities and challenges that surround encryption keys. Essential components of this lifecycle include:

Key generation

The process of creating keys can determine overall security, so this must be carefully navigated to ensure that encryption keys can seamlessly handle encryption and decryption needs. There are multiple ways to tackle this, with key generation involving either symmetric or asymmetric encryption:

• Symmetric encryption: Reliant on a single key to serve multiple purposes, symmetric key encryption allows one key to tackle both encryption and decryption. While the asymmetric alternative typically receives credit for being more secure, symmetric encryption can carry some advantages: namely, this is more computationally efficient and may sometimes be preferred when dealing with large volumes of data.

• Asymmetric encryption: Involving both public and private keys, asymmetric encryption uses key pairs, with the public key handling encryption while the private key is used for decryption. This approach tends to be more secure but can also be more resource-intensive. That being said, the enhanced protection of asymmetric encryption relies on the protection of the private key. Done right, this can dramatically enhance security, and, in the Root Causes podcast, Sectigo's Tim Callan and Jason Soroko explain that this forms the cornerstone of modern public key infrastructure (PKI) success.

Other essential components include key length and key randomness. Key length determines the complexity of the encryption key, which is closely tied to its resistance against attacks. Common key lengths include 128 bits and 256 bits, with longer keys generally offering stronger security.

Key randomness is crucial for resisting attacks. Cryptographically secure pseudorandom number generators (CPRNGs) use entropy to create cryptographic keys with unpredictable values. The resulting bit sequences must comply with strict algorithmic requirements to ensure robust encryption.

Once an encryption algorithm (such as RSA, ECC, or AES) is selected, both key length and randomness play a critical role in ensuring data remains protected against evolving cyber threats.

Key distribution

After keys are generated, they can be securely shared between multiple parties, allowing authorized individuals to send or receive encrypted information. This process may be referred to as a key distribution or key exchange. Key distribution can present many challenges, including security risks that could leave both parties vulnerable to interception.

There are several methods for securely sharing keys, including PKI, key management systems (KMS), and hardware security modules (HSMs). PKI helps to facilitate secure key distribution by leveraging asymmetric encryption—where public keys can be openly shared while private keys require strict confidentiality.

Using strong cryptographic protocols such as SSL/TLS helps secure communication channels during key exchange, reducing the risk of interception or unauthorized access. Key vaults and key management systems offer additional opportunities for secure key storage and distribution, reducing the potential for interception during key exchange.

Key storage

Key storage determines how and where private keys are placed. This plays a fundamental role in elevating private key security. When using SSL/TLS certificates, public keys are published within the certificate itself, while private keys can be stored in an encrypted format on hard drives or USB tokens. Strong passwords and access control can help to safeguard these private keys.

Key vaults can enhance secure storage through enhanced access control along with encryption at rest. These vaults may maintain detailed logs to reveal who accesses keys and when. With Sectigo, strict protocols prevent unauthorized individuals from recovering private keys. Only those with select privileges can recover these keys. Otherwise, external users must submit private key recovery requests.

Hardware security modules (HSMs) promote the secure management and storage of cryptographic keys. These can take many forms and may involve physical devices, network-attached devices, or even chip-based modules. This approach offers enhanced physical and logical protection.

Key rotation and revocation

The keys used to encrypt and decrypt data must be regularly rotated to reduce the risk of compromise. This helps to ensure that, in the worst-case scenario (such as an attacker acquiring a private key), the damage is limited. Automated key rotation streamlines this process, ensuring that keys are rotated on a scheduled basis without requiring manual rotation. This automation reduces the chances of human error and ensures compliance with security best practices.

In some situations, cryptographic keys may need to be revoked prior to their intended expiration dates, especially if there is any indication that private keys have been compromised. The revocation process involves invalidating the compromised key and replacing it with a new, secure key as quickly as possible. Swift revocation is essential for limiting the damage, preventing unauthorized access, and maintaining the integrity of encrypted communications.

Key expiry and renewal

Similar to the certificate lifecycle, the key management lifecycle relies on expiration to ensure long-term protection, as there is no guarantee that current algorithms will remain secure over time. Expiration is a critical component of the previously discussed key rotation process, with expiration dates selected based on user-specific security needs or other concerns.

Quarterly key rotation is increasingly common, but enterprise-specific key rotation policies and schedules may ultimately determine expiration dates. Automation can improve this effort, avoiding the potential for expired keys to remain in use.

Enterprise key management systems

Given the inherent complications of encryption key management, it is easy to see how the effort to generate, distribute, store, and rotate keys can feel overwhelming or resource-intensive. When this is done manually, it can be difficult to keep up, particularly when high volumes of private keys are required.

This is where enterprise encryption key management can make all the difference. Leveraging automation to boost efficiency and avoid human error, this effective key management strategy can elevate key security and deliver significant improvements to overarching encryption strategies.

What is an enterprise encryption key management system?

Enterprise encryption key management systems (KMS) are solutions designed to manage, store, and protect cryptographic keys across entire organizational cryptographic environments. These systems securely handle both public and private keys, ensuring proper key generation, storage, rotation, and access control while enforcing strict security policies. Many KMS solutions also incorporate audit logs to track key usage, supporting regulatory compliance and risk management.

Multiple approaches are available, including centralized and decentralized systems:

• Centralized key management: Provides unified control, allowing organizations to efficiently manage, monitor, and enforce security policies for encryption keys.

• Decentralized key management: Promotes greater flexibility, enabling different departments, applications, or cloud services to handle their own keys. However, without proper oversight, decentralized management can introduce security risks and compliance challenges.

Key management for large-scale enterprises

As key volume increases, the need for strategic, automated key management becomes even more crucial. The vast and complex nature of IT infrastructure means that encryption keys need to be securely managed across diverse platforms and systems, without any gaps in security, visibility, or control. A well-implemented key management solution ensures that encryption keys are securely stored, rotated, and distributed while enforcing access controls and audit logging across all platforms—whether on-premises, in the cloud, or within hybrid environments.

Meanwhile, the effort to maintain compliance with industry standards and regulatory requirements can prove complex and time-consuming, prompting significant operational overhead. In these situations, enterprise encryption key management solutions that leverage automation become even more important.

Another top concern among large-scale enterprises: integrations with existing infrastructure. This must be seamless to ensure smooth operations. A well-integrated key management system ensures that data encryption strategies align with other security measures but are also efficient and scalable.

Encryption key management best practices

Encryption key management presents many challenges, ranging from security and compliance to operational concerns. These best practices can help to improve overall security while maintaining efficiency throughout the entire key management lifecycle.

Leverage automation

Automation plays an increasingly crucial role in key management strategies. Between frequent key rotation and escalating key volumes, it is often too difficult for IT teams to keep up with manual processes. Sectigo Certificate Manager (SCM) automates the entire encryption key lifecycle, including key generation, storage, and deletion, reducing administrative overhead and minimizing the risk of human error. By streamlining key management across complex environments, SCM ensures that encryption keys are securely managed and properly maintained throughout their lifecycle, helping organizations maintain optimal security and compliance with minimal manual intervention.

Perform regular audits and maintain compliance

Many strict standards, from NIST to PCI DSS, guide key management and rotation. Audits can help to confirm compliance with these standards. These comprehensive assessments should be performed on a regular basis to ensure that emerging vulnerabilities are promptly detected and addressed. Regular auditing can also help to confirm ongoing key integrity.

Conduct training and ensure awareness across staff

Do not underestimate the influence of employees on overall key handling and security. Human error is often responsible for compromised keys, and, while such problems can be avoided (to some extent) through automated solutions, training is also important. IT staff can form a strong line of defense for safeguarding keys, so they must be made aware of policies and best practices. Continue to revisit these essentials periodically to ensure that employees understand the importance of secure key management.

Take control of encryption key management with Sectigo

Encryption key management has the power to protect sensitive data while preventing unauthorized access. Secure key management practices are crucial, and thankfully, many excellent options promise to boost overall security and compliance.

Automation can make all the difference, streamlining the encryption key lifecycle from generation and storage to rotation and deletion. Sectigo Certificate Manager simplifies this process, reducing manual effort while ensuring keys remain secure and properly managed. With deployment flexibility and a highly scalable solution, SCM helps organizations enhance data protection and operational efficiency. Learn more by scheduling a demo today.

Want to learn more? Get in touch to book a demo of Sectigo Certificate Manager!

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