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The curious case of faster AWS KMS symmetric key rotation

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This article discusses the new options for faster symmetric key rotation in AWS Key Management Service (AWS KMS), including configurable rotation periods (90 days to 7 years), on-demand rotation, improved visibility into rotation history, and a price cap for keys with more than two rotations.

Specifically, the article covers:

  • The historical reasons for cryptographic key rotation, such as limiting data exposure and preventing cryptanalytic attacks due to key wear-out
  • How AWS KMS mitigates the risks of key leakage and wear-out through its hardened key protection and key derivation functions
  • Why AWS KMS still offers key rotation capabilities to meet compliance requirements for various industries
  • The new flexible options for automatic and on-demand key rotation in AWS KMS, as well as improved visibility into rotation history
  • A price cap for keys with more than two rotations, reducing costs for customers with frequently rotated keys


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