In today's IT environments, managing secrets like passwords, TLS certificates, and accounts is standard practice. Yet, there’s one critical type of credential that often goes unmanaged: SSH keys. While most organizations secure their secrets using Privileged Access Management (PAM) solutions, many fail to realize that traditional PAM tools fall short when it comes to SSH key management. Here's why SSH keys are essential and why they require a dedicated approach to be managed effectively.
The Challenge of SSH Key Management
SSH keys, which serve as access credentials within the Secure Shell (SSH) protocol, are similar to passwords but differ in how they function. In large, long-standing IT environments, SSH keys outnumber passwords by a ratio of 10:1, and while many passwords are privileged, nearly all SSH keys grant access to valuable systems or data.
One key difference lies in the fact that a single SSH key can unlock access to multiple servers, akin to how a skeleton key works in old manors. In a real-world case, after conducting a risk assessment, one customer found a root key that allowed access to all their servers. This discovery underscores the potential risks of unmanaged SSH keys, especially since anyone in an organization can self-provision them.
The Problem with SSH Key Proliferation
SSH key proliferation is a widespread issue because these keys are often not centrally managed. They don’t carry an inherent identity, can be easily shared or duplicated, and rarely come with expiration dates by default. This lack of oversight extends to third-party vendors and automated systems, making SSH keys a critical security vulnerability.
Organizations are also frequently unaware of how many SSH keys they have, who is using them, or which ones are valid and which should be revoked. The situation is exacerbated by the prevalence of automated machine-to-machine connections, often facilitated by SSH keys. Despite millions of these automated connections occurring daily, most companies lack control over the machine-based SSH credentials in use.
In short, many IT environments are littered with unaccounted-for SSH keys—“keys to the kingdom” that present a significant security risk.
Why Traditional PAMs Fail to Manage SSH Keys
Traditional PAM solutions excel at managing passwords, but they aren’t designed to handle the unique nature of SSH keys. Legacy PAM systems attempt to vault SSH keys like passwords, but this approach is ineffective due to the way keys function. Instead, SSH keys need to be managed directly at the server level to ensure proper control.
Another issue is that many traditional PAM solutions struggle to discover SSH keys in the first place, which is a prerequisite for managing them. Key configuration files and other essential components are often overlooked, making it difficult for PAMs to manage even 20% of the SSH keys within an environment.
Why Your PAM is Incomplete Without SSH Key Management
Even if your organization manages 100% of its passwords, you may still be leaving 80% of your critical credentials unmanaged if SSH keys are not included in your PAM strategy. At SSH Communications Security, the inventors of the SSH protocol, we know that SSH key management is crucial for securing access to systems and data. Ignoring SSH keys leaves organizations vulnerable to attacks and operational risks.
The Future of Access Management: Going Credential-less
Managing passwords and SSH keys is essential, but it’s not the end goal. In modern, dynamic IT environments—especially those utilizing cloud servers, containers, or Kubernetes—traditional vaulting solutions are increasingly impractical. To future-proof your organization, the focus should be on ephemeral, just-in-time access where credentials are generated for the session and expire once the session is complete.
This credential-less access approach eliminates the need to manage passwords and keys altogether. Ephemeral secrets management drastically reduces the attack surface, simplifies operations, and lowers costs. It also ensures that no credentials linger after authentication, eliminating potential security risks.
Conclusion: The Key to Effective Access Management
The management of SSH keys is essential for a complete and secure IT environment, and traditional PAM tools simply aren’t enough to handle it effectively. By embracing ephemeral secrets management and moving toward a passwordless and keyless future, organizations can vastly improve their security posture and streamline operations.
As the old saying goes: "I wish I was still rotating passwords and keys," said no customer ever. Once you make the shift to credential-less access, there’s no going back. To learn more about how you can transition to modern access and secrets management, check out our PrivX Zero Trust Suite and take the first step toward a more secure, future-proof IT environment.
