Key Management Best Practices

Key management encompasses the generation, storage, distribution, rotation, and destruction of cryptographic keys. Poor key management can undermine even the strongest encryption.

Key Generation

• Use cryptographically secure random number generators
• Generate keys with sufficient length
• Use well-vetted libraries and algorithms

Key Storage

• Never hardcode keys in source code
• Use environment variables or dedicated secret managers
• Consider Hardware Security Modules (HSMs) for high-value keys
• Encrypt keys at rest

Key Rotation

• Rotate keys regularly
• Implement key versioning
• Plan for emergency rotation in case of compromise