How to Manage Azure App Registration Client Secrets Expiration

How to Manage Azure App Registration Client Secrets Expiration

How to Manage Azure App Registration Client Secrets Expiration

If you are using Azure App Registration to register your applications and grant them access to Azure resources, you may need to use client secrets as one of the authentication methods. Client secrets are passwords that you create for your applications and use them along with the application ID to obtain access tokens.

However, client secrets are not meant to last forever. They have an expiration date that you need to set when you create them. The expiration date can be up to 2 years maximum from the Azure portal, or longer if you use other tools such as Microsoft Graph API or PowerShell. The expiration date is meant to improve the security of your applications and prevent unauthorized access in case of a secret leak.

In this post, we will show you how to manage Azure App Registration client secrets expiration and how to renew them before they expire. We will also show you how to monitor and audit your client secrets and how to avoid common pitfalls and errors.

Why do client secrets expire?

Client secrets expire for security reasons. If a client secret is exposed or compromised, it can be used by an attacker to impersonate your application and access your Azure resources. By setting an expiration date for your client secrets, you limit the time window that an attacker can use them. You also force yourself to rotate your client secrets regularly and follow the best practices of credential management.

The recommended expiration time for client secrets is 6 months, according to Microsoft. This is because if a secret is exposed, the longer the expiration time will increase the risk of unauthorized access. However, you can set a longer expiration time if you have a valid reason, such as a complex deployment process or a legacy application that cannot be updated easily.

How to create and renew client secrets?

You can create and renew client secrets from the Azure portal, Microsoft Graph API, or PowerShell. The process is similar for all methods, but we will show you an example using the Azure portal.

To create a client secret from the Azure portal, follow these steps:

  1. Sign in to the Azure portal and navigate to the Azure Active Directory service.
  2. Select the application name under the App Registrations.
  3. Select Certificates & Secrets > New client secret.
  4. Enter a description for your client secret and choose an expiration date from the drop-down list. You can choose 6 months, 12 months, 24 months, or Custom.
  5. Click Add to create the client secret.
  6. Copy the value of the client secret and store it securely. You will not be able to see it again after you leave this page.

To renew a client secret from the Azure portal, follow these steps:

  1. Sign in to the Azure portal and navigate to the Azure Active Directory service.
  2. Select the application name under the App Registrations.
  3. Select Certificates & Secrets > Client secrets.
  4. Find the client secret that you want to renew and click on its expiration date.
  5. Choose a new expiration date from the drop-down list and click Save.
  6. Copy the value of the new client secret and store it securely. You will need to update your application code or configuration with the new secret.

How to monitor and audit client secrets?

You can monitor and audit your client secrets using various tools and methods, such as:

  • The Azure portal: You can view the list of your client secrets and their expiration dates from the Certificates & Secrets section of your app registration. You can also filter by expired or expiring soon secrets using the Status column.
  • The Microsoft Graph API: You can use the Microsoft Graph API to query your app registration objects and their passwordCredentials property, which contains information about your client secrets, such as keyId, value, startDate, endDate, customKeyIdentifier, etc. You can use filters and select clauses to get only the relevant data.
  • PowerShell: You can use the PowerShell cmdlet Get-AzureADApplicationPasswordCredential to get information about your client secrets, such as keyId, startDate, endDate, customKeyIdentifier, etc. You can use filters and select clauses to get only the relevant data.
  • Azure Monitor: You can use Azure Monitor to collect logs and metrics related to your app registration activities, such as creating, updating, deleting, or using client secrets. You can use queries and alerts to analyze and notify you of any issues or anomalies.

How to avoid common pitfalls and errors?

You may encounter some common pitfalls and errors when working with client secrets, such as:

  • Forgetting to renew your client secrets before they expire: This can cause your application to fail or lose access to your Azure resources. To avoid this, you should set reminders or alerts for your client secrets expiration dates and renew them in advance.
  • Using hard-coded or plain-text client secrets in your application code or configuration: This can expose your client secrets to anyone who has access to your code or configuration files. To avoid this, you should use secure methods to store and retrieve your client secrets, such as Azure Key Vault, environment variables, or configuration files with encryption.
  • Using the same client secret for multiple applications or environments: This can increase the risk of a secret leak or compromise. To avoid this, you should use different client secrets for different applications or environments and follow the principle of least privilege.

Conclusion

Client secrets are passwords that you create for your applications and use them to authenticate with Azure resources. Client secrets have an expiration date that you need to set and renew before they expire. The expiration date is meant to improve the security of your applications and prevent unauthorized access in case of a secret leak.

In this post, we showed you how to manage Azure App Registration client secrets expiration and how to renew them before they expire. We also showed you how to monitor and audit your client secrets and how to avoid common pitfalls and errors.

We hope this post has helped you understand and use client secrets in Azure App Registration. If you have any questions or feedback, please leave a comment below.