IBM Z remain the backbone of enterprise computing, powering critical financial, healthcare, and government systems. Despite their reputation for security and reliability, mainframes still require modern security solutions to protect sensitive data. HashiCorp Vault, a leading tool for secrets management, offers robust solutions that complement mainframe security, ensuring compliance, efficiency, and risk mitigation in hybrid environments.

Secrets Management challenges

Mainframes are traditionally considered securable due to their centralized architecture and robust access controls. However, in today’s interconnected IT landscape, new challenges arise:

• Legacy Authentication Methods – Many mainframe applications still rely on outdated authentication mechanisms.
• Secrets Sprawl – Hardcoded credentials in scripts and applications pose security risks.
• Integration with Modern Environments – Enterprises increasingly use hybrid cloud environments, requiring secure communication between mainframes and modern applications.
• Compliance and Auditing – Regulatory frameworks demand stringent logging, auditing, and access control measures.

How HashiCorp Vault Enhances IBM Z Security

Vault provides a centralized, dynamic, and automated approach to secrets management, addressing key pain points in mainframe security:

1. Secure Secrets Storage

Vault encrypts and stores credentials, API keys, and other sensitive data, eliminating the need for hardcoded secrets in mainframe applications.

2. Dynamic Secrets Management

By generating secrets on-demand with limited lifespans, Vault reduces the risk of credential compromise. For instance, it can dynamically create short-lived database credentials for DB2 or IMS on IBM Z.

3. Modern Authentication & Authorization

Vault integrates with identity providers and supports role-based access control (RBAC), enabling stronger authentication mechanisms for mainframe users and applications.

4. Automated Credential Rotation

Regularly rotating credentials minimizes the impact of potential breaches. Vault automates this process, ensuring security without disrupting operations.

5. Seamless Integration with Hybrid Environments

Vault provides APIs and plugins that allow secure interaction between mainframes and modern cloud services, bridging the gap between legacy and modern infrastructure.

6. Audit and Compliance Support

Vault logs all access and secret usage, enabling detailed auditing and meeting regulatory requirements such as GDPR, PCI-DSS, and HIPAA.

Integrating Vault with Confidential Computing on IBM Z and LinuxONE

1. Deploy Vault in a Confidential Computing Environment

Organizations can run HashiCorp Vault within a TEE (IBM Secure Execution), ensuring that the Vault process and stored secrets are encrypted in memory and protected from unauthorized access.

2. Secure Secrets Retrieval with Encrypted Communication

Vault can be configured to operate within an encrypted enclave, where only authenticated workloads running inside a TEE can retrieve secrets. This ensures:

• Secrets are never exposed in plaintext outside the enclave.
• Unauthorized users or malicious insiders cannot intercept or exfiltrate secrets.

3. Enhancing Key Management with Hardware Security Modules (HSMs)

By leveraging HSM-backed Vault instances within a Confidential Computing environment, organizations can:

• Store and manage cryptographic keys securely.
• Ensure that key material is never exposed, even to Vault administrators.
• Automate key lifecycle management, reducing security risks.

Real-World Use Cases

·       1. Securing Multi-Cloud and Hybrid Cloud Workloads

Organizations running workloads across AWS, Azure, and on-premises environments can use Vault within Confidential VMs to manage secrets securely, preventing cloud providers from accessing sensitive data.

·       2. Protecting Financial Transactions

Banks and payment processors can use Confidential Computing with Vault to encrypt and process sensitive financial data, reducing the risk of fraud and insider threats.

Conclusion

IBM Z and LinuxONE will continue to play a critical role in enterprise computing, but securing them in a modern, hybrid IT environment requires evolving strategies. HashiCorp Vault provides a powerful solution to bridge this security gap, ensuring that IBM Z and LinuxONE remain as secure, compliant, and efficient as possible. By integrating Vault into IBM Z and LinuxONE environments, organizations can enhance security posture, reduce risk, and maintain seamless operations in an increasingly digital world.

Blog Authors: Pradeep Parameshwaran, STSM, Chief Architect, Security and Compliance on IBM Z and LinuxONE & Marcel Mitran, IBM Fellow, CTO IBM LinuxONE