About the A2A credential management

Overview

The Segura® App-to-App Credential Management (A2A) enables organizations to securely distribute, rotate, and manage application credentials and secrets at scale—across on-premises, cloud, containerized, and hybrid environments. The platform offers multiple integration methods, full policy enforcement, and centralized auditability, supporting modern DevOps, legacy workloads, and regulated environments.

Core Capabilities

1. Credential Injection into Configuration Files

   • Automates policy-driven injection of credentials/secrets into configuration files (JSON, YAML, XML, .env, INI, properties, etc.) on target systems, containers, or VMs—eliminating hardcoded secrets.
   • Flexible templates enable variable mapping, transformation rules, and conditional logic.
   • Version control, rollback, and atomic updates ensure configuration integrity.
   • It provides support for legacy workloads, microservices, DevOps, and hybrid scenarios.

2. Secure Credential Retrieval via API

   • Applications dynamically fetch credentials from Segura® vault using RESTful APIs with strong authentication (OAuth2, mTLS, JWT, short-lived tokens).
   • The system provides support for just-in-time and ephemeral secrets.
   • The system supports fine-grained authorization, quota management, and context-based access.
   • All API calls are logged for real-time monitoring, risk analytics, and compliance.

3. Agent-Based AAPM

   • Lightweight agents for local credential management where direct integration is restricted (air-gapped, OT, legacy).
   • Orchestrates credential propagation, service restarts, and dependency checks.
   • Automated rollback, validation, and scheduled maintenance.
   • Essential for OT, industrial, and regulated environments.

4. Kubernetes & Container Secret Management

   • Native integration with Kubernetes (EKS, AKS, GKE, OpenShift, etc.) and Docker for secret injection, rotation, and update in running workloads.
   • Direct injection as Kubernetes Secrets, ConfigMaps, or via sidecar/init containers.
   • RBAC, namespace, and security policy enforcement.
   • Zero-downtime rotations are supported where possible.

5. CI/CD & DevOps Pipeline Integrations

   • Plugins and hooks for Jenkins, GitLab CI, GitHub Actions, Azure DevOps, and Bitbucket enable credential management throughout build and deploy cycles.
   • Policy enforcement to block deployments with outdated or exposed secrets.
   • Dynamic provisioning and usage tracking of build-time secrets.

6. Middleware, Messaging, and API Gateways

   • Credential injection into middleware (RabbitMQ, Kafka, ActiveMQ), API gateways (Kong, Apigee, NGINX), and REST/gRPC services.
   • Continuous monitoring, risk-based alerting, and automated remediation.

7. Edge, IoT, and Remote Environments

   • Provisioning and lifecycle management for credentials in edge devices, IoT gateways, and remote appliances via the Network Connector.
   • Robust for disconnected, intermittently connected, or remote environments.
   • Offline provisioning and secure synchronization as needed.

8. Custom Integrations & Extensibility

   • Extensible plugin and API framework for integrating proprietary or industry-specific platforms.
   • You can customize triggers, workflows, and business logic to meet unique requirements.

How It Works

• Registration & Authorization

  • Applications, services, pipelines, or devices are registered with unique identities.
  • Fine-grained permissions and scopes define access conditions.

• Integration Pattern Selection

  • Choose preferred integration: API fetch, file injection, agent-based delivery, Kubernetes-native, or pipeline hooks.
  • Multiple methods can coexist in hybrid deployments.

• Credential Lifecycle Management

  • Automated rotation, revocation, and expiry enforcement.
  • Approval workflows, usage tracking, and context-aware policies.
  • Self-service and automated remediation for dynamic workloads.

• Audit, Monitoring & Analytics

  • Immutable, centralized logs for all credential activities.
  • SIEM, SOAR, and security analytics integration.
  • Real-time dashboards and exportable audit reports.

Supported Platforms & Environments

• Operating Systems: Windows, Linux, Unix, macOS
• Containers: Docker, Kubernetes (GKE, EKS, AKS, OpenShift), Podman, Swarm
• Cloud Providers: AWS, Azure, GCP, Oracle Cloud, Alibaba Cloud
• CI/CD: Jenkins, GitLab CI, GitHub Actions, Azure DevOps, Bitbucket
• Middleware & Messaging: RabbitMQ, Kafka, ActiveMQ, API gateways (Kong, Apigee, NGINX)
• Edge & IoT: MQTT, OPC-UA, devices via Network Connector
• Web Applications, Legacy Systems, Custom APIs
• SaaS & Business Apps: Salesforce, ServiceNow, Zendesk, Workday, HubSpot, and more.

• Enterprise Software: SAP ECC, SAP S/4HANA, Oracle PeopleSoft, Salesforce, and Dynamics 365.

Example Use Cases

• Legacy Application: credentials injected into .ini files at application start, with full audit and rollback.
• Cloud-Native Microservice: fetches and rotates ephemeral OAuth tokens from the vault, with automatic revocation.
• Kubernetes: automated update and rotation of secrets in all pods within a namespace, enabling zero-downtime updates.
• CI/CD Pipeline: secrets provisioned at build time, tracked, and deployments blocked if non-compliant.
• Edge Device: ATMs or kiosks receive signed, time-bound credentials through secure relay, auto-revoked after use.

Security, Compliance & Value

• Zero Standing Privilege: secrets delivered just-in-time, least privilege by default.
• Policy Enforcement: segregation by app, environment, user, group, or tenant.
• Comprehensive Auditability: all events are logged, signed, and exportable for regulatory support.
• Agentless-First: most integrations require no endpoint agent; agents are available for restricted scenarios.
• Continuous Monitoring: real-time violation detection and remediation.
• Resilience & Scalability: enterprise-ready for hybrid, multi-cloud, with high availability/disaster recovery.