Encrypting Kubernetes PVCs with AWS KMS

Portworx Encrypted Volumes

Portworx has two different kinds of encrypted volumes:

• Encrypted Volumes

  Encrypted volumes are regular volumes which can be accessed from only one node.

• Encrypted Sharedv4 Volumes

  Encrypted sharedv4 volume allows access to the same encrypted volume from multiple nodes.

Encryption using per volume secrets

In this method, each volume will use its own unique passphrase for encryption. Portworx relies on the AWS KMS APIs to generate a Data Encryption Key. This key will then be used to encrypt and decrypt your volumes.

note

This is the recommended method for encrypting volumes when you want to take a cloud backup of an encrypted volume or migrate encrypted volumes between multiple clusters.

Step 1: Create a Storage Class

Create a storage class with the secure parameter set to true.

kind: StorageClass
apiVersion: storage.k8s.io/v1
metadata:
  name: px-secure-sc
provisioner: kubernetes.io/portworx-volume
parameters:
  secure: "true"
  repl: "3"

To create a sharedv4 encrypted volume set the sharedv4 parameter to true as well.

Step 2: Create a Persistent Volume Claim

Create a new PVC as follows:

kind: PersistentVolumeClaim
apiVersion: v1
metadata:
  name: mysql-data
  annotations:
    volume.beta.kubernetes.io/storage-class: px-secure-sc
spec:
  storageClassName: px-mysql-sc
  accessModes:
    - ReadWriteOnce
  resources:
    requests:
      storage: 2Gi

If you do not want to specify the secure flag in the storage class, but you want to encrypt the PVC using that Storage Class, then create the PVC as below:

kind: PersistentVolumeClaim
apiVersion: v1
metadata:
  name: secure-pvc
  annotations:
    px/secure: "true"
spec:
  storageClassName: portworx-sc
  accessModes:
  - ReadWriteOnce
  resources:
    requests:
      storage: 2Gi

Note the px/secure: "true" annotation on the PVC object.

Encryption using named secrets

note

This method for encrypting volumes is not supported when you want to take a cloud backup of an encrypted volume or migrate encrypted volumes between two different Portworx clusters.

Step 1: Creating Named Secrets

Use the following CLI command to generate AWS KMS Data keys. Portworx associates each KMS Data Key with a unique name provided through the --secret_id argument.

To generate a new KMS Data Key, run the following command:

pxctl secrets aws generate-kms-data-key --secret_id mysecret

The above command generates an AWS KMS Data Key and associates it with the name mysecret. To use this Data Key for encrypting volumes provide only the secret ID mysecret to Portworx while creating/attaching the volume.

info

You should not run the above command with the same secret_id if you have volumes using the secret_id.

To list all the named secrets, use the following command:

pxctl secrets aws list-secrets

Step 2: Create a Storage Class

Create a storage class with the secure parameter set to true.

kind: StorageClass
apiVersion: storage.k8s.io/v1
metadata:
  name: px-secure-sc
provisioner: kubernetes.io/portworx-volume
parameters:
  secure: "true"
  repl: "3"

To create a sharedv4 encrypted volume set the sharedv4 parameter to true as well.

Step 3: Create a Persistent Volume Claim

Use the following to create a new PVC:

kind: PersistentVolumeClaim
apiVersion: v1
metadata:
  name: mysql-data
  annotations:
    px/secret-name: mysecret
    volume.beta.kubernetes.io/storage-class: px-secure-sc
spec:
  storageClassName: px-mysql-sc
  accessModes:
    - ReadWriteOnce
  resources:
    requests:
      storage: 2Gi

Take a note of the annotation px/secret-name: mysecret. This specific annotation indicates Portworx to use the the secret called mysecret to encrypt the volume. In this case, it will NOT create a new passphrase for this volume and NOT use per volume encryption. If the annotation is not provided then Portworx will use the per volume encryption workflow as described in the previous section.

note

A single named secret can be used for encrypting multiple volumes.

Encryption using cluster wide secret

From Portworx version 2.1 support for cluster-wide secrets has been deprecated. If you have volumes (using cluster-wide secret) that were created using older Portworx versions, those volumes will still seamlessly work with newer Portworx versions.

However, if you wish to use your previous cluster-wide secret, then you will need to pass its name as shown in the previous Named secrets section.

For example,

Lets say your generated KMS data key was called portworx_secret and you had set it as a your cluster-wide secret using the command pxctl secrets set-cluster-key portworx_secret.

To create new volumes using that same secret you will need to follow the previous Named secret section and provide the name portworx_secret as show above.

Again, existing volumes created with cluster wide, will still work without providing portworx_secret.

note

• For newer volumes if you do not provide any secret key, they will use per volume encryption and will NOT default to using cluster wide secret

• This method for encrypting volumes is not supported when you want to take a cloud backup of an encrypted volume or migrate encrypted volumes between two different Portworx clusters.