Application Configuration & Credential Security

Application Configuration and Credentials Security refers to securing sensitive application settings (e.g., API keys, database credentials, encryption keys, and environment variables) to prevent unauthorized access, leaks, or compromise. It ensures that secrets are protected, rotated, and never hardcoded in application code.

Why Is It Important?

Mismanaged credentials are a major security risk.

• Hardcoded secrets in code can be exposed in public repositories (e.g., GitHub leaks).

• Unencrypted credentials in configuration files can be accessed by attackers.

• Poorly secured secrets lead to unauthorized access to databases, APIs, and cloud resources.

Proper security measures prevent credential leaks and unauthorized access while ensuring applications run securely in production environments.

---

What Needs to Be Secured

Category	Examples
Application Configuration	Database connection strings, API endpoints, authentication settings
Secrets & Credentials	API keys, OAuth tokens, AWS access keys, RDS passwords
Encryption Keys	AWS KMS keys, TLS certificates
Environment Variables	Sensitive settings used in containerized workloads

---

Secrets & Credential Management

✔ Use AWS Secrets Manager to store API keys, database credentials, and encryption keys securely. ✔ Enable automatic rotation for credentials used by SecureCart’s backend services. ✔ Never hardcode secrets in application code or environment variables.

Enable automatic rotation in AWS Secrets Manager. Rotate database passwords, API keys, and access tokens periodically.

Use IAM Roles Instead of Hardcoding Credentials

Use Case: SecureCart stores its RDS database credentials in AWS Secrets Manager and retrieves them securely at runtime.

Key AWS Services for Secure Application Configuration & Credential Management

Service	Purpose	How SecureCart Uses It
AWS Secrets Manager	Securely store, manage, and rotate secrets like database passwords and API keys.	SecureCart stores RDS credentials, API keys, and encryption keys in Secrets Manager.
AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store	Store and retrieve configuration data securely.	SecureCart uses Parameter Store for environment variables and app configs.
AWS IAM Roles & Policies	Control access to AWS resources with least privilege.	SecureCart enforces role-based access for services and applications.

---

Common Threats & Mitigation Strategies

Threat	Mitigation Strategy
Hardcoded Credentials in Code	Use IAM Roles, Secrets Manager, and Parameter Store instead of embedding credentials.
Leaked API Keys in Public Repositories	Use AWS IAM Access Analyzer to detect and prevent secret leaks.
Overly Permissive IAM Policies	Follow least privilege principle when granting IAM permissions.