Your sensitive data getting into the wrong hands is a true nightmare.
Using an encryption key, Adobe Commerce and Magento Open Source, protects your store, but rotating the encryption key is essential to improve its security.
Rotating the encryption key simply means changing them.
During the initial installation of your Magento 2 store, you might have opted for any one of these two prompts to encrypt and protect your data:
- Let Adobe Commerce automatically generate an encryption key
- You created a custom key of your own
Magento recommends you take timely action to rotate your encryption key to avoid any data leak or unauthorized store access.
Here is how to do it.
How to Change an Encryption Key on Magento 2?
Step 1: Enable Maintenance Mode & Disable Cron Job
Firstly, enable the maintenance mode.
bin/magento maintenance:enable
And turn off the cron jobs.
For Cloud infrastructure projects:
./vendor/bin/ece-tools cron:disable
For On-premises projects
crontab -e
Step 2: Change Your Encryption Key
Now, from your Magento 2 admin panel, head to System > Other Settings > Manage Encryption Key.
Here, you have two options at the Auto-generate a Key field:
- Select YES for Magento to generate a new key for you automatically
- Select NO if you want to create a custom key of your choice
Enter the custom key in the New Key field and click Change Encryption Key to finish the settings.
Step 3: General Settings for Encryption Key
Lastly, flush the cache, enable the cron jobs, and disable maintenance mode for your store to start working as usual.
Flush the cache
For Cloud infrastructure projects:
magento-cloud cc
For On-premises projects:
bin/magento cache:flush
Enable cron jobs
For Cloud infrastructure projects:
./vendor/bin/ece-tools cron:enable
On-premises projects:
crontab -e
Disable maintenance mode
bin/magento maintenance:disable
And that’s it, your store is safe again.
Things to Keep in Mind While Encryption
Here is a mini-checklist of things to keep in mind while working with an encryption key:
- Take a backup of your current key and save it in a secure location for the future.
- Always use a strong and random encryption key.
- Since there is no limit to the length, use it wisely.
- Rotate every 6 to 12 months, and in case of any security accident, do it immediately.
Now, go ahead and try this solution yourself.
Helpful read: A Definitive Guide on Magento 2 Security
Keep your store secure with the latest Magento 2 patches—add them before it’s too late.
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