Encryption Key Management Redesigned in Adobe Commerce 2.4.8

Security best practices evolve as threats become more sophisticated and operational complexity increases. Adobe Commerce 2.4.8 reflects this evolution by redesigning encryption key management, moving from Admin UI controls to command-line interfaces. This shift prioritises security and auditability, though it does require teams to adopt new workflows.

What's Changed

Previously, encryption key management in Adobe Commerce was accessible through the Admin panel, allowing authorised administrators to generate, rotate, and manage encryption keys through a graphical interface. Whilst convenient, this approach raised questions around security controls and audit trails.

Adobe's new approach leverages CLI commands exclusively. This means encryption key operations—generating new keys, rotating existing ones, and re-encrypting sensitive data—must be performed via command line, typically by dedicated infrastructure or operations teams rather than general administrators.

Why This Matters

The shift to CLI-based key management brings several security advantages. First, it naturally restricts access to encryption operations, as CLI access typically requires elevated permissions and is more carefully controlled than Admin panel access. Second, command-line operations leave cleaner audit trails, making it possible to log exactly who performed key management activities and when.

For merchants handling particularly sensitive data—whether payment card information, customer identifieds, or compliance-regulated data—these improvements are meaningful. They align Adobe Commerce with security best practices seen across other enterprise platforms.

Data Re-encryption Process

A critical part of the new approach is automated data re-encryption. When you generate a new encryption key, all sensitive data stored in your database must be re-encrypted using the new key. Adobe Commerce 2.4.8 handles this through a streamlined CLI process that:

• Generates the new encryption key
• Identifies all encrypted data in your database
• Re-encrypts data using the new key
• Verifies the operation completed successfully

For large installations with significant encrypted data, this process can be time-consuming, making it essential to plan key rotations carefully and perform them during appropriate maintenance windows.

Operational Implications

If you're managing Adobe Commerce infrastructure, this change requires adjusting your operational procedures. Rather than delegating routine key management to Admin users, you'll need to centralise these activities within your infrastructure or operations team. This isn't burdensome—it's a manageable change that actually improves your security posture—but it does require planning.

We recommend documenting your new key management procedures, ensuring your operations team is trained on the new CLI commands, and testing key rotation in a non-production environment before performing it on live systems. Given the importance of encryption to data security, getting these processes right matters.

Planning Your Upgrade

If you're considering upgrading to Adobe Commerce 2.4.8, encryption key management is one aspect worth understanding before you begin. Consider whether your current team structure supports CLI-based operations, whether you have documented key rotation procedures, and how frequently you plan to rotate keys.

For most merchants, the new approach represents an improvement. It raises your security standards and creates better operational discipline around one of the most critical security practices. But like any change, it requires understanding and planning to implement smoothly.