Credential Tokenization: Protecting Third-Party API Credentials at Runtime

Read full article here: https://www.slashid.com/blog/credential-tokenization/?source=nhimg

As attackers increasingly target secrets and credentials to move laterally within cloud environments, traditional secrets management systems fall short—especially at runtime. This blog introduces Credential Tokenization, an innovative approach to minimize exposure, enforce access controls, and simplify credential lifecycle management for third-party API keys, OAuth tokens, and non-human identities (NHIs).

The post explores how SlashID’s Gate Tokenizer Plugin injects credentials only at the moment of outbound request—ensuring applications never touch sensitive key material. This runtime protection dramatically reduces the risk of leaks, even in the event of application compromise. By replacing static secrets with dynamic tokens—similar to how credit card tokenization works—the method enforces separation of duties, enables fine-grained access policies, and eliminates downtime during credential rotation.

Key benefits include:

• Zero runtime exposure of secrets in application code or config

• Secure, policy-driven secret injection

• Simplified rotation and operational overhead

• Support for Vault, AWS, GCP, Azure

With clear workflows, example configurations, and a real-world security use case, this blog makes the case for credential tokenization as a foundational control in modern cloud security. Organizations managing third-party integrations and automated machine credentials will find immediate value in adopting this secure-by-design model.