Which Azure service provides secure management and distribution of certificates, secrets, and keys for cloud applications? Learn how Azure Key Vault centralizes sensitive data protection, simplifies compliance, and integrates with Azure services.
Table of Contents
Question
A company wants to securely manage and distribute certificates, secrets, and keys for their cloud applications. Which service should they use?
A. Azure Active Directory
B. Azure Key Vault
C. Azure Security Center
D. Azure Policy
E. Azure Monitor
Answer
B. Azure Key Vault
Explanation
Azure Key Vault is designed for securely storing and managing keys, secrets, and certificates used in cloud applications and services.
The best Azure service for securely managing and distributing certificates, secrets, and keys for cloud applications is Azure Key Vault.
- Centralized Secure Storage: Azure Key Vault is designed as a centralized, highly secure repository for managing sensitive information such as API keys, passwords, connection strings, encryption keys, and SSL/TLS certificates. It uses industry-standard encryption and hardware security modules (HSMs) to safeguard stored data.
- Access Control: Integration with Azure Active Directory (Microsoft Entra ID) allows organizations to enforce strict access controls using role-based access control (RBAC), ensuring only authorized users and applications can access or manage secrets, keys, and certificates.
- Secret Management: Key Vault enables secure storage, versioning, and retrieval of secrets like passwords and API keys. Applications can access these secrets at runtime without hardcoding them, reducing the risk of exposure.
- Key Management: Cryptographic keys for encryption, decryption, signing, and verification can be generated, imported, rotated, and managed within Key Vault. Automatic key rotation policies help maintain security best practices.
- Certificate Management: Key Vault supports the creation, storage, auto-renewal, and lifecycle management of digital certificates, including SSL/TLS and client certificates. It can integrate with public certificate authorities for automated issuance and renewal, minimizing service disruptions and manual intervention.
- Logging and Monitoring: All access and usage of secrets, keys, and certificates are logged and can be integrated with Azure Monitor and Azure Security Center for auditing and compliance.
- Integration: Azure Key Vault works seamlessly with other Azure services such as App Service, Azure Functions, and Azure Kubernetes Service, enabling secure retrieval of secrets and certificates directly from applications without exposing sensitive data in code or configuration files.
Azure Key Vault is the recommended solution for securely storing, managing, and distributing certificates, secrets, and keys in the cloud. It centralizes sensitive data protection, enforces access control, supports lifecycle management, and integrates with Azure services to streamline security and compliance for cloud applications.
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