What is the difference between AWS KMS and Cloud HSM?
I am currently engaged in a particular company and the company wants it to comply with stringent regulatory requirements that can provide full control over the cryptographic key material. Which service should I choose AWS KMS or CloudHSM for this particular requirements and nerds?
In the context of AWS, here are the differences given:-
AWS KMS
It is a managed service that can handle the key management in a software-based environment within the AWS infrastructure.
Here is the example code given for encryption of data by using the AWS KMS in Java programming language:-
Import com.amazonaws.services.kms.AWSKMS;
Import com.amazonaws.services.kms.AWSKMSClientBuilder;
Import com.amazonaws.services.kms.model.GenerateDataKeyRequest;
Import com.amazonaws.services.kms.model.GenerateDataKeyResult;
Import com.amazonaws.services.kms.model.EncryptRequest;
Import com.amazonaws.services.kms.model.EncryptResult;
Import java.nio.ByteBuffer;
Import java.util.Base64;
Public class KmsEncryptionExample {
Public static void main(String[] args) {
String keyId = “your_key_id”;
ByteBuffer plaintext = ByteBuffer.wrap(“Your sensitive data”.getBytes());
// Initialize AWS KMS client
AWSKMS kmsClient = AWSKMSClientBuilder.standard().build();
// Generate a data key
GenerateDataKeyRequest dataKeyRequest = new GenerateDataKeyRequest()
.withKeyId(keyId)
.withKeySpec(“AES_256”);
GenerateDataKeyResult dataKeyResult = kmsClient.generateDataKey(dataKeyRequest);
// Encrypt data using the generated data key
EncryptRequest encryptRequest = new EncryptRequest()
.withKeyId(keyId)
.withPlaintext(plaintext);
EncryptResult encryptResult = kmsClient.encrypt(encryptRequest);
// Get ciphertext and encrypted data key
ByteBuffer ciphertext = encryptResult.getCiphertextBlob();
String encryptedDataKey = Base64.getEncoder().encodeToString(dataKeyResult.getCiphertextBlob().array());
System.out.println(“Ciphertext: “ + ciphertext);
System.out.println(“Encrypted Data Key: “ + encryptedDataKey);
}
}
Cloud HSM
It can provide access to the dedicated hardware security modules which can store and also manage the cryptographic keys securely.
Here is the example code given for the purpose of encryption of the data by using the CloudHSM SDK in Java programming language:-
Import com.amazonaws.services.cloudhsm.AWSCloudHSM;
Import com.amazonaws.services.cloudhsm.AWSCloudHSMClientBuilder;
Import com.amazonaws.services.cloudhsm.model.GenerateDataKeyRequest;
Import com.amazonaws.services.cloudhsm.model.GenerateDataKeyResult;
Import com.amazonaws.services.cloudhsm.model.EncryptRequest;
Import com.amazonaws.services.cloudhsm.model.EncryptResult;
Import java.nio.ByteBuffer;
Import java.util.Base64;
Public class CloudHsmEncryptionExample {
Public static void main(String[] args) {
String keyId = “your_hsm_key_id”;
ByteBuffer plaintext = ByteBuffer.wrap(“Your sensitive data”.getBytes());
// Initialize AWS CloudHSM client
AWSCloudHSM cloudHSMClient = AWSCloudHSMClientBuilder.standard().build();
// Generate a data key using CloudHSM
GenerateDataKeyRequest dataKeyRequest = new GenerateDataKeyRequest()
.withKeyId(keyId)
.withKeySpec(“AES_256”);
GenerateDataKeyResult dataKeyResult = cloudHSMClient.generateDataKey(dataKeyRequest);
// Encrypt data using the generated data key
EncryptRequest encryptRequest = new EncryptRequest()
.withKeyId(keyId)
.withPlaintext(plaintext);
EncryptResult encryptResult = cloudHSMClient.encrypt(encryptRequest);
// Get ciphertext and encrypted data key
ByteBuffer ciphertext = encryptResult.getCiphertextBlob();
String encryptedDataKey = Base64.getEncoder().encodeToString(dataKeyResult.getCiphertextBlob().array());
System.out.println(“Ciphertext: “ + ciphertext);
System.out.println(“Encrypted Data Key: “ + encryptedDataKey);
}
}