Overview
HSMs are specialized, tamper-resistant hardware designed to protect the most sensitive cryptographic keys. They are used by organizations to secure their PKI, process financial transactions, and manage cloud encryption keys.
Key Features
- Secure Key Storage: Keys never leave the hardware in plaintext.
- Cryptographic Acceleration: Performing complex mathematical operations at high speed.
- Tamper Evidence/Resistance: Detecting and responding to physical attempts to access the device.
Use Cases
- Root of trust for Certificate Authorities (CAs).
- Securing payment processing (e.g., for credit cards).
- Managing keys for database and cloud encryption.