[openstack-dev] [nova] key management and Cinder volume encryption

Coffman, Joel M. Joel.Coffman at jhuapl.edu
Tue Sep 3 20:38:59 UTC 2013


We have fully implemented support for transparently encrypting Cinder volumes<https://blueprints.launchpad.net/nova/+spec/encrypt-cinder-volumes> from within Nova (see  https://review.openstack.org/#/c/30976/), but the lack of a secure key manager within OpenStack currently precludes us from integrating our work with that piece of the overall architecture. Instead, a key manager interface (see  https://review.openstack.org/#/c/30973/) abstracts this interaction. We would appreciate the consideration of the Nova core team regarding merging our existing work because 1) there is nothing immediately available with which to integrate; 2) services such as Barbican<https://launchpad.net/cloudkeep/+announcements> are on the path to incubation and alternative key management schemes (e.g., KMIP Client for volume encryption key management<https://blueprints.launchpad.net/nova/+spec/kmip-client-for-volume-encryption>) have also been proposed; 3) we avoid the hassle of rebasing until the aforementioned services become available; and 4) our code does not directly depend upon a particular key manager but upon the aforementioned interface, which should be simple for key managers to implement. Furthermore, the current dearth of key management within OpenStack does not preclude the use of our existing work within a production environment; although the security is diminished, our implementation provides protection against certain attacks like intercepting the iSCSI communication between the compute and storage host.

Feedback regarding the possibility of merging our work would be appreciated.

Joel
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