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Security Fundamentals & Crypto · Intermediate

Key Management Service (KMS)

Managed cloud service for creating, storing, controlling, and auditing cryptographic keys.

Definition

Cloud KMS offerings let customers create keys backed by HSMs, define access policies, enable rotation, and log every key use. They integrate with storage, databases, and other services through envelope encryption. Examples are AWS KMS, Azure Key Vault, and Google Cloud KMS.

Example

An S3 bucket uses SSE-KMS so each object's data key is protected by a customer-managed KMS key.

Exam tip

Cloud KMS keys rarely leave the HSM; services request encrypt/decrypt operations via API.

Related terms