Auto rotation of key encryption keys #14396
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huaxingao
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Oct 25, 2025
core/src/main/java/org/apache/iceberg/encryption/StandardEncryptionManager.java
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huaxingao
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Oct 25, 2025
huaxingao
reviewed
Oct 25, 2025
core/src/main/java/org/apache/iceberg/encryption/StandardEncryptionManager.java
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Thanks @ggershinsky for the PR! Is it possible to add a rotation test: insert a KEK with a timestamp older than 2 years and verify a new KEK is created and used? |
Sure |
huaxingao
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Oct 27, 2025
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| sem.setTestTimeShift(TimeUnit.DAYS.toMillis(800)); | ||
| // above rotation time, key must be different | ||
| assertThat(sem.keyEncryptionKeyID()).isNotEqualTo(initialKekID); |
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nit: Do we want to check that the manifest‑list key metadata is encrypted by the rotated KEK?
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Yup, can be done.
huaxingao
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Oct 27, 2025
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LGTM. Thanks @ggershinsky ! I’ll leave this PR open for a couple more days in case others want to review. |
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Thanks @ggershinsky for the PR! |
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Iceberg table encryption has a "key encryption key" that encrypts manifest list key metadata for every snapshot (manifest list) produced in a table. The NIST SP 800-57 document recommends setting a limit of 2 years on the crypto-period of key wrapping (encryption) keys.
However, recording the creation timestamp of key encryption keys in the metadata.json file is not safe in non-REST catalogs, as an attacker can modify this file and update the timestamp to a newer value - making the writers re-use a key encryption key beyond the recommended limit, potentially allowing the attacker to reconstruct the key.
That's why the current code has only one key encryption key (without a timestamp), and requires the users to rotate the key manually every two years for each table. Also, the key metadata of the existing manifest lists has to be re-wrapped (re-encrypted) with the rotated key. Iceberg will need to build such re-wrapping procedure and provide it within two years.
Fortunately, there is a cryptographic solution that doesn't require manual key rotation and metadata re-wrapping. We can use the key encryption key timestamp as an AES GCM signature (AAD) when wrapping the manifest list key metadata. This way, the malicious tampering with timestamps will be detected by Iceberg readers upon decrypting the manifest list key metadata. This solution also enables automatic rotation of the key encryption keys, so the users don't need to run manual re-wrapping procedures on their tables.
This PR implements such auto-rotation solution.