Production Secrets Management in OpenTelemetry

OpenTelemetry maintains several practices for managing secrets in production, focusing on security, efficiency, and usability. Here are the key steps for storing and managing secrets in production.

1. Secrets Storage

Secrets should be stored securely, typically in an environment variable or a secure secrets management tool. Attempting to hard-code secrets within the codebase is highly discouraged. Instead, developers should use environment variables or dedicated solutions such as AWS Secrets Manager, HashiCorp Vault, or Azure Key Vault.

Example of using environment variables in a JavaScript configuration file:

const config = {
    dbPassword: process.env.DB_PASSWORD,
    apiKey: process.env.API_KEY,
};

if (!config.dbPassword || !config.apiKey) {
    throw new Error('Missing required environment variables');
}

In this example, DB_PASSWORD and API_KEY are extracted from the environment variables, ensuring they are kept out of the source code.

2. Configuration Management

Use a configuration management system to handle different environments such as development, testing, and production. This can help in abstracting secrets and configuration.

For instance, using .env files with the help of libraries like dotenv in Node.js can facilitate this:

require('dotenv').config();

const config = {
    dbUser: process.env.DB_USER,
    dbPassword: process.env.DB_PASSWORD,
};

// Application code using config

Make sure to include .env in your .gitignore file to prevent it from being pushed to your repository.

3. Version Control

Avoid committing any secret keys or sensitive information to version control. Use alternatives like GitHub Secrets when running CI/CD pipelines, which can securely reference secrets without exposing them in code.

4. Access Control

Limit the access to sensitive information using role-based access control (RBAC). Only authorized personnel should be able to read the secrets. For example, configure your secret manager to restrict access:

# Example policy for AWS IAM 
{
    "Version": "2012-10-17",
    "Statement": [
        {
            "Effect": "Allow",
            "Action": [
                "secretsmanager:GetSecretValue"
            ],
            "Resource": "arn:aws:secretsmanager:REGION:ACCOUNT_ID:secret:YourSecretName"
        }
    ]
}

This IAM policy allows specific actions on defined resources, ensuring that only certain applications or users can access the secret.

5. Key Rotation

Implement key rotation policies to periodically update secrets. Regularly changing keys mitigates the risk of exposure. Here is an example of how to plan key rotation:

• Set a schedule (e.g., every 90 days).
• Automate the update process using scripts or CI/CD pipelines.

A sample shell script snippet for rotating a key could look like:

#!/bin/bash

# Example function to update a secret in AWS Secrets Manager
update_secret() {
    secret_name=$1
    new_value=$2
    
    aws secretsmanager update-secret --secret-id $secret_name --secret-string $new_value
}

new_api_key=$(generate_new_api_key)  # function to generate a new API key
update_secret "MyApiKey" "$new_api_key"

6. Audit and Monitoring

Regular audits of secret usage should be conducted to detect any potential leaks or unauthorized access. Use logging solutions to monitor accesses and changes to secrets.

For instance, configure AWS CloudTrail to log secrets access and actions on Azure Key Vault with diagnostic settings for monitoring:

{
    "properties": {
        "logs": [
            {
                "category": "AuditEvent",
                "enabled": true
            }
        ]
    }
}

Conclusion

Managing secrets in production is crucial for maintaining security. By using environment variables, configuration management, access control policies, key rotation practices, and auditing mechanisms, OpenTelemetry ensures that sensitive information is handled with the necessary precautions.

Source: Makefile (check-links)