Secrets Manager

Secrets Manager (SSM) provides users with full lifecycle management services for secrets, including creation, retrieval, updating, and deletion. Combined with resource-level role authorization, it enables unified management of sensitive credentials. To address the leakage risks associated with hardcoding sensitive configurations and credentials, users or applications can call the Secrets Manager API to retrieve secrets, effectively avoiding sensitive information exposure due to hardcoding or plaintext configurations, as well as business risks arising from uncontrolled permissions. As a reliable Cloud Secrets Escrow platform, its Centralized Sensitive Information Management capability covers various types of secrets such as database passwords, API keys, and SSH keys. Through encrypted storage (relying on KMS CMK keys) and TLS secure transmission, it eliminates the risks of hardcoding and plaintext leakage. Database Password Escrow, as a core application scenario, supports full lifecycle management and integrates with application-layer credential rotation to ensure password updates do not disrupt business continuity. Container Secrets Injection adapts to cloud-native environments, dynamically injecting secrets via API calls to prevent sensitive information from being retained in container configurations. The entire service strictly adheres to Secrets Management Best Practices, incorporating features such as resource-level access authorization, fine-grained auditing, and high-availability disaster recovery backups. This ensures that Cloud Secrets Escrow is both secure and controllable while improving operational efficiency through Centralized Sensitive Information Management, making it the preferred solution for sensitive credential management in multi-application, multi-region business environments.

Q: What is the core value of Cloud Secrets Escrow? How does Tencent Cloud SSM implement Secrets Management Best Practices through Centralized Sensitive Information Management and Database Password Escrow?

A: The core value of Cloud Secrets Escrow lies in achieving secure storage, compliant control, and efficient operations for sensitive credentials. Tencent Cloud SSM implements Secrets Management Best Practices across three key dimensions. First, Centralized Sensitive Information Management, as the core capability of Cloud Secrets Escrow, unifies scattered credentials such as database passwords and API keys from various business systems. Through encrypted storage and fine-grained permission controls, it addresses management chaos, laying the foundation for Secrets Management Best Practices. Second, Database Password Escrow deeply adapts to enterprise needs, supporting password creation, retrieval, and automatic rotation without requiring manual synchronization. This reduces operational costs while avoiding security risks associated with unchanged passwords over time. Finally, Cloud Secrets Escrow integrates with CAM and Cloud Audit to achieve permission control and operational traceability. Combined with high-availability disaster recovery backups, it fully meets the core requirements of "security, compliance, and high availability" in Secrets Management Best Practices, ensuring that every aspect of Centralized Sensitive Information Management follows established guidelines.

Q: What role does Container Secrets Injection play in the Cloud Secrets Escrow system? How does it collaborate with Database Password Escrow to enhance the effectiveness of Centralized Sensitive Information Management?

A: Container Secrets Injection is a critical function in Cloud Secrets Escrow for adapting to cloud-native scenarios. It dynamically provides sensitive credentials to containers, working in collaboration with Database Password Escrow to build a comprehensive Centralized Sensitive Information Management system for all scenarios. In containerized deployment environments, Container Secrets Injection eliminates the need to hardcode credentials in images or configuration files. Instead, credentials are retrieved in real-time from the Cloud Secrets Escrow platform via API calls, preventing credential leakage during the container lifecycle. This represents an extension of Centralized Sensitive Information Management to cloud-native environments. When container applications need to access databases, Container Secrets Injection dynamically pushes the latest passwords from the Database Password Escrow platform. Combined with credential rotation functionality, this ensures that container applications automatically synchronize password updates without requiring manual application restarts, safeguarding database access security. The synergy between these two functions extends the coverage of Cloud Secrets Escrow from traditional applications to containerized environments, making Centralized Sensitive Information Management more comprehensive. At the same time, it adheres to the Secrets Management Best Practices of "dynamic retrieval and automatic updates," enhancing overall security protection.

Q: What core elements are included in Secrets Management Best Practices? How do Tencent Cloud SSM's Cloud Secrets Escrow and Centralized Sensitive Information Management meet these elements and adapt to scenarios such as Database Password Escrow and Container Secrets Injection?

A: The core elements of Secrets Management Best Practices include: secure storage and transmission, full lifecycle control, least privilege access, operational traceability, and high-availability disaster recovery. Tencent Cloud SSM's Cloud Secrets Escrow meets these requirements through multiple design features while adapting to diverse scenarios. On the security front, Centralized Sensitive Information Management uses KMS-encrypted storage and TLS transmission. Credentials for Database Password Escrow and Container Secrets Injection are retrieved via encrypted channels, fulfilling the "secure storage" requirement. For full lifecycle control, Cloud Secrets Escrow supports secret creation, retrieval, updating, and rotation. Database Password Escrow enables automatic rotation, and Container Secrets Injection synchronizes the latest credentials, aligning with the "dynamic control" principle. In terms of permissions and traceability, resource-level authorization is achieved through CAM, and all operations are logged by Cloud Audit, meeting the requirements of "least privilege" and "traceability." For high availability, cluster deployment and cross-region disaster recovery backups ensure uninterrupted Cloud Secrets Escrow services. These designs ensure that Centralized Sensitive Information Management is consistently implemented, and scenarios such as Database Password Escrow and Container Secrets Injection fully adhere to Secrets Management Best Practices, achieving a balance between security and efficiency.