How do you manage API keys and secrets for distributed services at scale?

You can use also the AWS Systems Manager's Parameter Store to store API keys and secrets. Always remember to think about how you're going to retrieve this secrets. Using STS and Roles for temporary credentials may be a good choice.

Centralizing your secrets management ensures consistency and security across distributed services. - Utilize tools like HashiCorp Vault, AWS Secrets Manager, or Azure Key Vault. - Store all API keys and secrets in a single, secure location. - Control access through role-based permissions to ensure only authorized users can retrieve secrets.

Before choosing a vault tool you should decide what strategy would you use for your secrets and certificates: 1. You can inject secrets and certificates into the building stage of your pipeline. The downside of this all secrets would be permanently saved in the app 2. You can inject secrets and certificates dynamically after your application is deployed to an environment. Vault or K8S secrets can provide all variables and certificates. The downside of this it's much more complex 3. Hybrid approach when you can inject part of your secrets in building steps, and all secrets or certificates that should be dynamically provided via Vault. Downside - 2 places for maintenance/update/support

Dynamic secrets enhance security by generating short-lived credentials on demand. - Configure your vault to create temporary API keys that expire after a set time. - Reduce risk by ensuring secrets are not long-lived and less prone to exposure. - Use dynamic secrets for database credentials, API tokens, and other sensitive data.

Before implementing dynamics secrets best options would be to check what parts of the system need these dynamic variables or certificates, for example: - If you use the certificate to encrypt and sign data, you may want to update it or change - if your microservices can dynamically change address you should implement services discovery or change address dynamically in the you secret provider

As you go further on storing secrets it may be a good choice thinking on how do I guarantee security. AWS STS + roles gives you temporary credentials to access your infrastructure. These credentials are dynamic and once they expire, you will need to request new temporary credentials by assuming the role again.

Automating secret injection into your services minimizes human error and enhances security. - Integrate your secrets management tool with your CI/CD pipeline. - Automatically inject secrets into application environments at runtime. - Use tools like Kubernetes Secrets or Docker Secrets management for seamless integration.

From my experience, effective management of secure injection techniques is essential for safeguarding sensitive data like API keys and passwords. Using environment variables helps separate secrets from code effectively. Centralized tools like HashiCorp Vault and AWS Secrets Manager provide robust controls and automate secret rotations. Storing secrets in external configuration files outside version control prevents accidental exposure. Encrypting secrets secures them at rest and in transit. In containerized environments, deploying sidecars for secret management helps mitigate system security. Additionally, regularly rotating secrets, monitoring their usage, and conducting strict audits are vital to maintain data integrity & confidentiality.

You can use GitHub Actions Pipelines to automate your secret injection using Infrastructure as Code (IaC), but remember to follow best practices to ensure the security and integrity of your secrets. Here are some key points to consider: - Store your secrets securely in GitHub's encrypted secrets storage. You can add secrets to your repository or organization settings. - Only expose secrets to the jobs and steps that absolutely need them. Avoid exposing secrets to unnecessary parts of your workflow. - Regularly rotate your secrets to minimize the risk of exposure. Update your GitHub secrets and any dependent systems accordingly. - Use environment variables to inject secrets into your IaC tools and scripts.

Regular monitoring and auditing of secret usage help maintain security and compliance. - Enable logging to track who accessed which secrets and when. - Set up alerts for unusual access patterns or failed retrieval attempts. - Conduct periodic audits to review access controls and ensure compliance with security policies.

- Ensure that logging is enabled for all actions and workflows. Use monitoring tools to track and analyze logs for any suspicious activities. - Configure alerts to notify you of any unusual or unauthorized access attempts. Use tools like GitHub's security alerts or third-party monitoring services. - Regularly review access logs to identify any unauthorized access or usage of secrets. Look for patterns or anomalies that could indicate a security breach.

Educating your teams on best practices for secrets management is essential for maintaining security. - Provide training on secure handling and storage of API keys and secrets. - Encourage a culture of security awareness and responsibility. - Equip teams with tools and guidelines to manage secrets in their workflows securely.

One of the important parts of engineering culture is to share knowledge from other areas, such as infrastructure and secrets management. 1. You should have a clear description of the secrets workflow. With key responsible roles and automated parts 2. That very important that the engineering team and infrastructure/support team have strong communication with each other. This may be a training session, inner conference, periodic practice session, etc. 3. You should organize an information update process to minimize the gap between the real situation in your app or infrastructure and your wiki. Part of the data can be updated automatically such as API description, process flow, etc.

Security is only as strong as its weakest link, which means that educating and empowering your team directly impacts overall security. Therefore, security is not just the responsibility of DevSecOps or Blue/Red teams, but everyone's responsibility.