Increasekey

Increasekey is a term used in data security to describe methods and tools that aim to strengthen cryptographic security by evolving keys over time. It is not a single protocol but a broad concept used across security products, libraries, and research to enhance key management and resistance to key compromise.

Core principles include key rotation, key derivation, and rekeying, as well as the use of secure key storage such as hardware security modules (HSMs) or cloud key management services (KMS). Proponents emphasize forward secrecy, crypto-agility to switch algorithms, and the use of per-entity or per-session keys, with thorough logging and auditing.

Implementation typically derives new keys from a master key via a key derivation function (KDF) with fresh nonces or salt. Rotation can be time-based, data-driven, or event-triggered. Rekey messages must be authenticated, and new keys are distributed through secure channels while keeping identifiers and metadata synchronized across systems.

Benefits include reduced impact of key compromise, easier compliance with rotation policies, and improved resilience in distributed environments. Challenges involve added management complexity, potential performance overhead, and the risk of misconfiguration or insecure key distribution.

Applications include secure messaging, database and disk encryption, cloud storage, TLS session management, and virtual private networks. The term is widely used in vendor documentation and research but is not a standardized protocol; implementations vary in scope and method. See also key rotation, cryptographic agility, forward secrecy, and key management.