Definition
Secrets management is the practice of securely storing, accessing, and managing sensitive information like API keys, passwords, and certificates. It involves using specialized tools or services to encrypt, distribute, and rotate these credentials, preventing them from being hardcoded into applications or configuration files. This is crucial for protecting systems and data from unauthorized access and breaches, as compromised secrets can grant attackers deep access. For instance, a web application might use a secrets manager to retrieve database credentials instead of storing them directly in its code. Unlike simple password managers, secrets management systems are designed for programmatic access by applications and services. This topic is fundamental for cybersecurity certifications such as CompTIA Security+ and CySA+.