Please find below the meeting minutes from the Key Mgmt WG call on the 30th of May.
Quantum Security Progress Update
The team discussed working on a white paper for a quantum-safe security working group, separate from the post-quantum cryptography white paper. Progress on the whitepaper might be limited due to scheduling constraints.
PQC Key Management document Table of Contents review
The table of contents was divided among team members: Partha and Sunil will handle the first three sections, with Sunil also covering section four. Marina plans to share the Table of Contents with Bruno Kovacs for feedback and contribution.
Document Review and Updates
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PQC sections 3 and 4 have been merged per previous feedback, with Sam's notes also being incorporated in the recent Table of Contents update.
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The team agreed to merge two documents, with Marina handling cleanup. Future meetings will focus on work stream updates. Sam, Sunil, and John will coordinate their efforts. Marina will share emails with Sunil to schedule meetings.
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The team discussed document management and formatting issues, Marina suggested keeping all documents in Google Drive for easier updates. Ultimately, the team decided to import the file into Google Sheets for better collaboration and formatting by the CSA design team.
CSP-CSC Key Management Responsibilities
Sam and Smita reviewed a document that defines responsibilities between CSPs and CSCs in key management. They examined a matrix covering lifecycle, compliance, and audit tasks. Sam proposed reviewing each row to ensure completeness and accuracy. The goal is to produce a concise, quick-reference guide rather than a detailed report.
Key Access Terminology Clarification
Team discussed terminology used around key access and its usage in documentation, agreeing to change "access to keys" to "uses keys" to avoid confusion.
Cryptographic Key Management Security Discussion
Sam, John, and Smita discussed risks in key management, noting that not all CSPs use HSMs and may still access keys. While HSMs offer protection, alternatives like FIPS 140-2 Level 2 software exist. Sam stressed the need for transparency about actual security measures and industry variations.
Key management and Access Controls
Sam and Smita discussed key management scenarios, focusing on the importance of protecting sensitive keys and preventing any individual from having full access, particularly in cases of misconfiguration. They agreed to use the term "sensitive keys" instead of "clear text keys" for clearer communication. Smita explained the concept of non-exportable keys and outlined the roles of HSMs, CSPs, and customers in managing key lifecycles, compliance, and audit responsibilities.
Key Generation in CSP Environments
Sam and Smita discussed details of key generation in CSP environments. They clarified that because the CSPs do not generate the keys themselves, the customer typically instructs the CSP to generate the keys. Smita agreed that the description of key generation should be changed to reflect the customer's role in the process.
BYOK Implementation and Key Management
The team discussed BYOK implementation, noting that customers control keys and define their deletion procedures. The group agreed that key management policies should be customer defined. Smita will circulate the document internally and reconvene with Sam in two weeks.
Next Steps:
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@Partha and @Sunil Arora will handle the first three sections of the PQC Key Management table of contents
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Marina to send an introductory email to WG members to schedule a meeting to discuss quantum paper.
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Marina to share TOC with Bruno Kovacs for feedback.
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Working group members to indicate which sections they would like to contribute to.
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@John Jiang to contribute chapters 6,7 of Post Quantum paper.
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@Sam Pfanstiel and @Smita Mahapatra will schedule a follow up meeting, to finalize the key mgmt responsibility matrix. Smita to review/ revise customer non-exportable keys section of responsibility matrix, Sam to update responsibility matrix based on the discussion.