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Description

Google Cloud Key Management Service stores cryptographic keys in a hierarchical structure designed for consistent access control management.

The format for the rotation schedule depends on the client library used. For the gcloud CLI, the next rotation time must be in ISO or RFC3339 format, and the rotation period must be in the form INTEGER[UNIT], where units can be seconds (s), minutes (m), hours (h), or days (d).

Rationale​

Set a key rotation period and starting time. A key can be created with a specified rotation period, which is the time between automatic generation of new key versions. A key can also be created with a specified next rotation time. A key is a named object representing a cryptographic key used for a specific purpose. The key material, the actual bits used for encryption, can change over time as new key versions are created.

A key is used to protect a set of data. A collection of files could be encrypted with the same key, and people with decrypt permissions on that key would be able to decrypt those files. Therefore, it is necessary to make sure the rotation period is set to a specific time.

Impact​

After a successful key rotation, the older key version is required in order to decrypt the data encrypted by that previous key version.

Audit​

From Google Cloud Console​

  1. Go to Cryptographic Keys by visiting: https://console.cloud.google.com/security/kms.
  2. Click on each key ring, then ensure each key in the keyring has Next Rotation set for less than 90 days from the current date.

From Google Cloud CLI​

  1. Ensure rotation is scheduled by ROTATION_PERIOD and NEXT_ROTATION_TIME for each key:

    gcloud kms keys list \
        --keyring={{key-ring}} \
        --location={{location}} \
        --format=json'(rotationPeriod)'

    Verify that rotationPeriod and nextRotationTime meet these criteria: rotationPeriod is no more than 90 days (for example, <= 90d, <= 2160h, <= 129600m, or <= 7776000s) nextRotationTime is within 90 days of the current date

Default Value​

By default, KMS encryption keys are rotated every 90 days.

References​

  1. https://cloud.google.com/kms/docs/key-rotation#frequency_of_key_rotation
  2. https://cloud.google.com/kms/docs/re-encrypt-data

Additional Information​

  • Key rotation does NOT re-encrypt already encrypted data with the newly generated key version. If you suspect unauthorized use of a key, re-encrypt the data protected by that key and then disable or schedule destruction of the prior key version.
  • It is not recommended to rely solely on irregular rotation, but rather to use irregular rotation only when needed in conjunction with a regular rotation schedule.