IT technology

Security

The principle of credential rotation is a security practice that involves regularly updating or replacing sensitive credentials—such as passwords, API keys, tokens, or certificates—to minimize the risk of unauthorized access. By frequently changing these credentials, even if they are compromised, the window of opportunity for attackers to exploit them is significantly reduced.  

**How it works:**  
1. **Scheduled Rotation:** Credentials are changed at predefined intervals (e.g., every 30, 60, or 90 days).  
2. **Event-Driven Rotation:** Credentials are updated immediately after suspicious activity, a security breach, or when an employee with access leaves the organization.  
3. **Automated Rotation:** Many systems use automation tools to rotate credentials without manual intervention, reducing human error.  

**Example:**  
A cloud-based application uses an API key to authenticate requests to a database. Instead of keeping the same key indefinitely, the key is rotated every 30 days. When the new key is generated, the old one is revoked, ensuring that even if the old key was leaked, it can no longer be used.  

In cloud environments, services like **Tencent Cloud Secrets Manager** can automate credential rotation for databases, APIs, and other sensitive access points, ensuring secure and efficient management of credentials.

The principle of credential rotation is a security practice that involves regularly updating or replacing sensitive credentials—such as passwords, API keys, tokens, or certificates—to minimize the risk of unauthorized access. By frequently changing these credentials, even if they are compromised, the window of opportunity for attackers to exploit them is significantly reduced.  
How it works: 

What is the principle of credential rotation?

The principle of credential rotation is a security practice that involves regularly updating or replacing sensitive credentials—such as passwords, API keys, tokens, or certificates—to minimize the ris...