Credential Rotation

Noun · Security & Infosec

Definitions

  1. The practice of periodically replacing secrets (API keys, database passwords, certificates) with new ones and invalidating the old. Limits the blast radius of leaked credentials and is required by many compliance frameworks (SOC 2, PCI DSS).

    In plain English: Regularly changing your passwords and API keys so that if one gets leaked, it won't work for long.

    Example: "We rotate database credentials every 90 days using Vault — the app fetches the current password at startup, no restarts needed."

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