ISC2 CISSP Practice Question

Cryptographic key rotation is a fundamental practice in the key management lifecycle that involves changing cryptographic keys periodically rather than using the same keys indefinitely. The primary benefit of key rotation is that it limits the amount of data encrypted with the same key, thereby reducing the potential impact if a key is compromised. Even if an attacker obtains a key, they would have access to data only from the time period when that specific key was active.

While key rotation does enhance regulatory compliance, this is a secondary benefit rather than the primary security purpose. The complexity of quantum computing attacks is not directly addressed by key rotation, but rather by quantum-resistant algorithms. Finally, key rotation does not prevent brute force attacks; resistance to brute force is determined by key length, algorithm strength, and other factors. Brute force resistance is addressed through proper key size selection and strong algorithms rather than by changing keys periodically.