A success story of transforming security operations with upgrading CipherTrust Manager

Company Overview 

The success story of transforming security operations with upgrading CipherTrust Manager revolves around a United States based telecommunication firm that led the market Capital of over $200 billion in 2024. They surpassed other major players, including China Mobile in Beijing and another prominent American telecom giant by continuously pushing boundaries and taking measures to stay one step ahead in adapting technology and security. With over 1000 network specialists in telecom industry this organization offers fastest 5G network services for its customers whether they are hitting the road, in the air or simply want to discover high speed home internet with unlimited plan and latest devices. 

Challenges

Achieving efficiency in operation and security is non-negotiable in the telecom industry. This global leader required dependable and scalable key management solutions to expand its cryptographic infrastructure.  

The organization had implemented different key management solutions that could not support a standard or consistent key management process across a multi-cloud environment. For e.g., in AWS platform, the KMS (Key Management Service) service allowed the organization’s users to create and manage encryption keys for various services, such as encrypting sensitive data stored in S3 bucket or EBS volumes. The KMS handled key generation, rotation, access policies and other key management tasks without requiring the user to implement the separate key management solution.

This contradicted with another platform where key management was handled through a third-party solution that configured the key management tasks differently, key rotation period was different which made it difficult for security team of the organization to keep track of different encryption policies and systems separately across each platform. 

Further, the firm encountered several roadblocks that linked to the utilization of legacy CipherTrust Manager, such as in previous version (2.0). One such issue occurred when a second data scan was initiated to identify vulnerabilities in a data store, such as a database or file system, while a previous scan was still in progress. If the new scan attempted to scan the same data store before the initial scan finished, the initial scan failed repeatedly. This issue was problematic for the firm because it disrupted scanning workflows and wasted time and resources. If a scan was terminated prematurely every time a second scan overlapped with it, the firm had to re-run scans, adding unnecessary delay. 

In the previous version of CipherTrust Manger (2.0) the lack of standardization in encryption configuration, operations, or support introduced compatibility and interoperability challenges. Different applications within the organization were using different cryptographic standards and protocols. For e.g., one application was encrypted using AES-258 algorithm and key size, whereas other application was using AES 128 algorithm and key size. This inefficient key management caused system delays, affecting application performance and the overall user experience of the organization. Our Senior Consultant mentioned, “This latency not only delayed critical processes but also caused performance bottlenecks, slowing down the normal operation of applications.” 

The organization was using the previous version of CipherTrust Manager in which logs were not being recorded, which means if someone requested to export an encryption key within a day of the last export, the system was not able to record that request in the logs, leaving no trace of that action for security monitoring or compliance purposes. This lack of logging made it difficult for the organization to track and audit key export activities, potentially leading to gaps in security monitoring and compliance. 

The outdated CipherTrust Manager utilized insecure cryptographic protocols like TLS 1.0, leaving systems vulnerable to Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs). Without updating encryption practices, the organization’s attack surface area was growing, and security threats were heightened. 

The previous version of Key Manager experienced measurable downtime during operational activities like backup, system maintenance, or software upgrades. Any downtime, even during routine tasks, could lead to key management disruptions, security risks, and application performance issues. 

The client’s existing CipherTrust Manager system faced significant challenges as it was marked with the End-of-Life (EOL) and End-of-Support (EOS) status by the vendor. As a result, the system no longer received critical security patches, updates, or vendor support. This posed a major risk to the organization’s security and compliance posture, as any vulnerabilities discovered in the system could not be addressed. 

With the new upgrade version 2.9, the organization was able to leverage the physical and virtual form factors of CipherTrust Manager, which are FIPS 140-2 compliant up to level 3.

Solution

To tackle the challenges caused by the outdated version of CipherTrust Manager (CM), we began our thorough assessment in the client’s existing environment, including cryptographic configuration, network setup, and encryption protocols. This included gathering information on whether the organization operates on-premises, in the cloud, or in a hybrid environment (a combination of both on-prem and cloud). We also evaluated the number of nodes the client needed to manage in order to deploy the solution. This helped us understand the scalability requirements and ensure the CM version would work optimally within security parameters.  

Based on the evaluation, we helped the client select the desired version of CipherTrust Manager that would best meet their security requirements. We also guided through the upgrade path from 2.0 to 2.10 (2.0>2.4>2.6>2.8>2.9>2.10). Additionally, it is essential to have at least 35 GB of free disk space available to successfully perform the upgrade process. The client had large number of nodes and required regional distribution of CM across multiple data centers or cloud environments, we recommend latest 2.10 version that supported high availability and multi-region configurations.  

To allow a zero-downtime upgrade of keys and policies, we used PowerShell Scripts when integrating the upgraded system with existing cloud platforms, and databases. In addition, an agentless discovery module was used to ensure the visibility of inventory encryption keys across the organization’s hybrid environment.  

We upgraded the CTE (CipherTrust Encryption) agents as well. These agents were responsible for encrypting data at rest on endpoints or servers. If the CTE agents were not compatible with the upgraded version of CM, the encryption process may fail or result in data integrity issues. Updating the CTE agents involved ensuring that the agents were running the version that aligns with the new version of CM (2.9) to maintain proper communication and functionality. 

The upgrade eliminated the use of old cryptographic protocols like TLS 1.0 with minimum requirement of the advanced ones such as TLS 1.2. This version also included features like full encryption support for microservices architecture. For multi-cloud environments, including AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud, it offered both the Bring Your Own Key (BYOK) and Hold Your Own Key (HYOK) models. This advancement made sure that the organization’s practices concerning encryption practices remained unified. 

The enhancement increased performance in cryptographic tasks for the protection of data in transit in real time across mission critical systems, this was particularly important in environments with high-volume operations, where delays could cause operational disruptions. In addition, high-speed tokenization and encryption capabilities facilitated the control of key operations on a large scale.  

By upgrading to the latest version of CipherTrust Manager 2.10, the customer regained access to vendor technical support and regular security patches resolving the End-of-Life (EOL) issues. Additionally, the enhanced system offered capabilities that supported a post-quantum cryptographic algorithm. 

The Impact  

The upgrade of the CipherTrust Manager fundamentally transformed how the organization secured its operations and maintain compliance with the regulatory standards. These improvements not only addressed existing vulnerabilities but also established a strong foundation for scalability and long-term security.  

Now, the organization is in significantly stronger position to mitigate emerging cybersecurity challenges and adapt to evolving industry demands. 

The organization significantly managed to mitigate the risks posed by advanced persistent threats (APTs) and other forms of cyber-attacks by replacing outdated cryptographic protocols with advanced standards.  

The upgrade ensured that the organization’s approach to encryption was in line with major compliance standards such as National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publication 800-57, Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) version 4.0, and Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) version 2.0., helping eliminate gaps that led to encryption audit failures. Compliance to regulatory measures and standards mitigated the probability of fines, penalties, or reputational damage. 

The upgraded system helped in achieving encryption and key management uniformity across multi-cloud and hybrid systems. It allowed secure, scalable inter-service communications in the microservices architectures and empowered the organization to operate more effectively in cloud environments. 

The upgrade led to the reduction in latencies, which was particularly critical in environments with high-volume operations. With the modernized Key Lifecycle Management solution in place, the organization reduced the need for manual processes and cut down operational costs. The automation functionalities, including automated key rotation, ensured that the organization complied with all key management practices, which enhanced security and reduced the risk of human error. 

By resolving end-of-life (EOL) issues, the organization became secure and resilient enough to face emerging threats. Also, the support of the post-quantum cryptographic algorithm made the organization resilient against the advancements in quantum computing threats. 

Conclusion

With the right support, any security challenge can be transformed into an opportunity to strengthen your defenses and future-proof your operations. That’s exactly what this organization achieved by partnering with Encryption Consulting. Facing the dual pressures of outdated encryption systems and evolving cybersecurity threats, they embraced the chance to address immediate vulnerability and build a resilient, scalable security framework for the future. 

Looking ahead, we introduced advanced cryptographic protocols, automated key lifecycle management, and multi-cloud integrations. These improvements have equipped the organization with an infrastructure, shielding it against upcoming threats while allowing it to scale securely and adapt to ever-changing security capabilities. With the right guidance, they turned the challenge into a roadmap for lasting security and growth.