In today's era of cyber threats and stringent data privacy regulations, secure management of sensitive data such as database credentials has become a paramount concern for organizations. As a Solutions Architect, our role encompasses devising robust security measures for my media company's Amazon Elastic Container Service (ECS) cluster, which hosts our news website.
To satisfy our stringent security compliance, we're making use of environment variables to supply the database credentials. However, the challenge is to ensure these credentials are secure and not visible in plaintext on the ECS cluster itself. We've found a fitting solution through AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store and AWS Key Management Service (KMS).
This blog post explores the best practices for securely managing database credentials in an Amazon ECS environment, leveraging AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store and AWS Key Management Service (KMS) to protect sensitive information.

The Challenge of Managing Database Credentials in ECS
Database credentials are fundamental to ensuring seamless connectivity between applications and their data sources. However, if these credentials are not managed properly, they can become a significant vulnerability. Exposing database credentials in plaintext, even within the confines of an Amazon ECS cluster, can pose substantial security risks, including unauthorised access and data breaches.
Why Environment Variables Alone Are Not Enough
Traditionally, environment variables have been used to pass configuration data, including database credentials, to containerized applications. However, environment variables stored in plaintext are inherently insecure. They can be accessed by anyone with adequate privileges to view the container's environment, posing a substantial security risk.
Our goal is to maintain the flexibility of environment variables while ensuring that the database credentials remain encrypted and inaccessible to unauthorized users. To achieve this, we leverage AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store and AWS KMS.
Using AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store and KMS for Enhanced Security
AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store: A Secure Storage Solution
AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store provides a centralised, scalable, and secure solution for storing and managing sensitive data such as database credentials, API keys, and configuration parameters. It allows us to store these parameters securely and retrieve them dynamically at runtime, thereby eliminating the need for plaintext credentials in our ECS environment.
Parameter Store offers two types of parameters:
Standard Parameters:Â Suitable for storing non-sensitive configuration data.
SecureString Parameters:Â Encrypted parameters that are ideal for storing sensitive information, like database credentials.
AWS Key Management Service (KMS): Ensuring Encryption
AWS KMS is a fully managed encryption service that facilitates the creation, management, and control of encryption keys used to protect data. By integrating AWS KMS with AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store, we can encrypt database credentials stored in the Parameter Store using a KMS customer-managed key (CMK). This approach ensures that credentials are encrypted both at rest and in transit.
Implementing Secure Credential Management in Amazon ECS
To securely manage database credentials in our Amazon ECS cluster, we follow a structured approach:
Store Credentials in Parameter Store:
Store the database credentials in AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store as a SecureString parameter.
Encrypt the parameter using a KMS key to protect it from unauthorised access.
Define IAM Permissions:
Create an AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) role for the ECS task execution (taskRoleArn).
Assign permissions to this role to allow access to both the KMS key and the Parameter Store parameter.
Configure ECS Task Definition:
In the ECS task definition, define the container's environment variables using the secrets section.
Specify the name of the environment variable and the Amazon Resource Name (ARN) of the Systems Manager Parameter Store parameter containing the encrypted credentials.
By following these steps, we ensure that database credentials are securely managed and never exposed in plaintext within our ECS cluster.
Addressing Misconceptions About Docker Secrets
A common misconception is that Docker Secrets can be used to centrally manage and securely transmit sensitive data to containers in all environments. While Docker Secrets do provide encryption for data in transit and at rest, they are primarily designed for use with Docker Swarm, not with Amazon ECS or other AWS services.
In the AWS ecosystem, it is recommended to use AWS Secrets Manager or AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store for managing sensitive data. These services are integrated with other AWS offerings and provide a more robust, scalable, and cloud-native solution for securing sensitive information.
Docker Swarm vs. Amazon ECS: Choosing the Right Tool for Cloud-Native Environments
While both Docker Swarm and Amazon ECS are popular container orchestration tools, they serve different purposes and have different strengths.
Docker Swarm is known for its simplicity, ease of use, and tight integration with the Docker ecosystem. It is ideal for smaller deployments or on-premises environments where simplicity and speed are prioritised.
Amazon ECSÂ is a fully managed container orchestration service provided by AWS. It integrates seamlessly with other AWS services such as Elastic Load Balancing, Amazon RDS, AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM), and AWS CloudWatch, providing a highly secure, scalable, and efficient environment for running containerised applications. ECS also supports AWS Fargate, a serverless compute engine that abstracts away the infrastructure management, allowing you to focus on building and deploying applications.
For our media company, Amazon ECS, combined with AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store and AWS KMS, offers a comprehensive, secure, and scalable solution for managing database credentials in a cloud-native environment.
Best Practices for Secure Management of Database Credentials
To further enhance the security of database credentials in an ECS environment, consider the following best practices:
Regularly Rotate Credentials:
Regularly rotate database credentials to minimise the risk of long-term exposure. Use AWS Secrets Manager to automate the rotation of credentials without disrupting applications.
Limit Permissions with IAM Policies:
Use least privilege access principles when defining IAM policies. Ensure that the ECS task role has only the permissions necessary to retrieve the specific credentials it needs.
Monitor and Audit Access:
Utilize AWS CloudTrail and AWS Config to monitor and audit access to your AWS resources, including the Parameter Store and KMS keys. Set up alerts for any unauthorised or unusual access patterns.
Encrypt Data in Transit:
Ensure that data is encrypted in transit between your application and the database using SSL/TLS.
Implement Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA):
Use MFA for all AWS accounts and roles that have access to sensitive data or critical infrastructure.
Conclusion
Secure management of database credentials is a critical aspect of maintaining a robust security posture in cloud-native environments. By leveraging AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store and AWS KMS, organisations can effectively secure their credentials and other sensitive data while maintaining the flexibility and scalability of an Amazon ECS cluster.
By following the best practices outlined in this blog, you can ensure that your organisation's sensitive data remains secure, compliant with industry regulations, and protected against the evolving threat landscape.
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