Import HSM-protected keys for Key Vault (nCipher)

Warning

The HSM-key import method described in this document is deprecated and will not be supported after June 30, 2021. It only works with nCipher nShield family of HSMs with firmware 12.40.2 or newer. Using new method to import HSM-keys is strongly recommended.

Note

We recommend that you use the Azure Az PowerShell module to interact with Azure. See Install Azure PowerShell to get started. To learn how to migrate to the Az PowerShell module, see Migrate Azure PowerShell from AzureRM to Az.

For added assurance, when you use Azure Key Vault, you can import or generate keys in hardware security modules (HSMs) that never leave the HSM boundary. This scenario is often referred to as bring your own key, or BYOK. Azure Key Vault uses nCipher nShield family of HSMs (FIPS 140-2 Level 2 validated) to protect your keys.

Use this article to help you plan for, generate, and then transfer your own HSM-protected keys to use with Azure Key Vault.

This functionality isn't available for Microsoft Azure operated by 21Vianet.

Note

For more information about Azure Key Vault, see What is Azure Key Vault? For a getting started tutorial, which includes creating a key vault for HSM-protected keys, see What is Azure Key Vault?.

More information about generating and transferring an HSM-protected key over the Internet:

  • You generate the key from an offline workstation, which reduces the attack surface.
  • The key is encrypted with a Key Exchange Key (KEK), which stays encrypted until it's transferred to the Azure Key Vault HSMs. Only the encrypted version of your key leaves the original workstation.
  • The toolset sets properties on your tenant key that binds your key to the Azure Key Vault security world. So after the Azure Key Vault HSMs receive and decrypt your key, only these HSMs can use it. Your key cannot be exported. This binding is enforced by the nCipher HSMs.
  • The Key Exchange Key (KEK) that is used to encrypt your key is generated inside the Azure Key Vault HSMs and is not exportable. The HSMs enforce that there can be no clear version of the KEK outside the HSMs. In addition, the toolset includes attestation from nCipher that the KEK is not exportable and was generated inside a genuine HSM that was manufactured by nCipher.
  • The toolset includes attestation from nCipher that the Azure Key Vault security world was also generated on a genuine HSM manufactured by nCipher. This attestation demonstrates that Microsoft is using genuine hardware.
  • Microsoft uses separate KEKs and separate Security Worlds in each geographical region. This separation ensures that your key can be used only in data centers in the region in which you encrypted it. For example, a key from a European customer cannot be used in data centers in North American or Asia.

More information about nCipher HSMs and Microsoft services

nCipher Security, an Entrust Datacard company, is a leader in the general purpose HSM market, empowering world-leading organizations by delivering trust, integrity and control to their business critical information and applications. nCipher's cryptographic solutions secure emerging technologies – cloud, IoT, blockchain, digital payments – and help meet new compliance mandates, using the same proven technology that global organizations depend on today to protect against threats to their sensitive data, network communications and enterprise infrastructure. nCipher delivers trust for business critical applications, ensuring the integrity of data and putting customers in complete control – today, tomorrow, always.

Microsoft has collaborated with nCipher Security to enhance the state of art for HSMs. These enhancements enable you to get the typical benefits of hosted services without relinquishing control over your keys. Specifically, these enhancements let Microsoft manage the HSMs so that you do not have to. As a cloud service, Azure Key Vault scales up at short notice to meet your organization's usage spikes. At the same time, your key is protected inside Microsoft's HSMs: You retain control over the key lifecycle because you generate the key and transfer it to Microsoft's HSMs.

Implementing bring your own key (BYOK) for Azure Key Vault

Use the following information and procedures if you will generate your own HSM-protected key and then transfer it to Azure Key Vault. This is known as the Bring Your Own Key (BYOK) scenario.

Prerequisites for BYOK

See the following table for a list of prerequisites for bring your own key (BYOK) for Azure Key Vault.

Requirement More information
A subscription to Azure To create an Azure Key Vault, you need an Azure subscription: Sign up for free trial
The Azure Key Vault Premium service tier to support HSM-protected keys For more information about the service tiers and capabilities for Azure Key Vault, see the Azure Key Vault Pricing website.
nCipher nShield HSMs, smartcards, and support software You must have access to a nCipher Hardware Security Module and basic operational knowledge of nCipher nShield HSMs. See nCipher nShield Hardware Security Module for the list of compatible models, or to purchase an HSM if you do not have one.
The following hardware and software:
  1. An offline x64 workstation with a minimum Windows operation system of Windows 7 and nCipher nShield software that is at least version 11.50.

    If this workstation runs Windows 7, you must install Microsoft .NET Framework 4.5.
  2. A workstation that is connected to the Internet and has a minimum Windows operating system of Windows 7 and Azure PowerShell minimum version 1.1.0 installed.
  3. A USB drive or other portable storage device that has at least 16-MB free space.
For security reasons, we recommend that the first workstation is not connected to a network. However, this recommendation is not programmatically enforced.

In the instructions that follow, this workstation is referred to as the disconnected workstation.


In addition, if your tenant key is for a production network, we recommend that you use a second, separate workstation to download the toolset, and upload the tenant key. But for testing purposes, you can use the same workstation as the first one.

In the instructions that follow, this second workstation is referred to as the Internet-connected workstation.


Generate and transfer your key to Azure Key Vault HSM

You'll use the following five steps to generate and transfer your key to an Azure Key Vault HSM:

Prepare your Internet-connected workstation

For this first step, do the following procedures on your workstation that is connected to the Internet.

Install Azure PowerShell

From the Internet-connected workstation, download and install the Azure PowerShell module that includes the cmdlets to manage Azure Key Vault. For installation instructions, see How to install and configure Azure PowerShell.

Get your Azure subscription ID

Start an Azure PowerShell session and sign in to your Azure account by using the following command:

   Connect-AzAccount

In the pop-up browser window, enter your Azure account user name and password. Then, use the Get-AzSubscription command:

   Get-AzSubscription

From the output, locate the ID for the subscription you will use for Azure Key Vault. You'll need this subscription ID later.

Do not close the Azure PowerShell window.

Download the BYOK toolset for Azure Key Vault

Go to the Microsoft Download Center and download the Azure Key Vault BYOK toolset for your geographic region or instance of Azure. Use the following information to identify the package name to download and its corresponding SHA-256 package hash:


United States:

KeyVault-BYOK-Tools-UnitedStates.zip

2E8C00320400430106366A4E8C67B79015524E4EC24A2D3A6DC513CA1823B0D4


Europe:

KeyVault-BYOK-Tools-Europe.zip

9AAA63E2E7F20CF9BB62485868754203721D2F88D300910634A32DFA1FB19E4A


Asia:

KeyVault-BYOK-Tools-AsiaPacific.zip

4BC14059BF0FEC562CA927AF621DF665328F8A13616F44C977388EC7121EF6B5


Latin America:

KeyVault-BYOK-Tools-LatinAmerica.zip

E7DFAFF579AFE1B9732C30D6FD80C4D03756642F25A538922DD1B01A4FACB619


Japan:

KeyVault-BYOK-Tools-Japan.zip

3933C13CC6DC06651295ADC482B027AF923A76F1F6BF98B4D4B8E94632DEC7DF


Korea:

KeyVault-BYOK-Tools-Korea.zip

71AB6BCFE06950097C8C18D532A9184BEF52A74BB944B8610DDDA05344ED136F


South Africa:

KeyVault-BYOK-Tools-SouthAfrica.zip

C41060C5C0170AAAAD896DA732E31433D14CB9FC83AC3C67766F46D98620784A


UAE:

KeyVault-BYOK-Tools-UAE.zip

FADE80210B06962AA0913EA411DAB977929248C65F365FD953BB9F241D5FC0D3


Australia:

KeyVault-BYOK-Tools-Australia.zip

CD0FB7365053DEF8C35116D7C92D203C64A3D3EE2452A025223EEB166901C40A


Azure Government:

KeyVault-BYOK-Tools-USGovCloud.zip

F8DB2FC914A7360650922391D9AA79FF030FD3048B5795EC83ADC59DB018621A


US Government DOD:

KeyVault-BYOK-Tools-USGovernmentDoD.zip

A79DD8C6DFFF1B00B91D1812280207A205442B3DDF861B79B8B991BB55C35263


Canada:

KeyVault-BYOK-Tools-Canada.zip

61BE1A1F80AC79912A42DEBBCC42CF87C88C2CE249E271934630885799717C7B


Germany:

KeyVault-BYOK-Tools-Germany.zip

5385E615880AAFC02AFD9841F7BADD025D7EE819894AA29ED3C71C3F844C45D6


Germany Public:

KeyVault-BYOK-Tools-Germany-Public.zip

54534936D0A0C99C8117DB724C34A5E50FD204CFCBD75C78972B785865364A29


India:

KeyVault-BYOK-Tools-India.zip

49EDCEB3091CF1DF7B156D5B495A4ADE1CFBA77641134F61B0E0940121C436C8


France:

KeyVault-BYOK-Tools-France.zip

5C9D1F3E4125B0C09E9F60897C9AE3A8B4CB0E7D13A14F3EDBD280128F8FE7DF


United Kingdom:

KeyVault-BYOK-Tools-UnitedKingdom.zip

432746BD0D3176B708672CCFF19D6144FCAA9E5EB29BB056489D3782B3B80849


Switzerland:

KeyVault-BYOK-Tools-Switzerland.zip

88CF8D39899E26D456D4E0BC57E5C94913ABF1D73A89013FCE3BBD9599AD2FE9


To validate the integrity of your downloaded BYOK toolset, from your Azure PowerShell session, use the Get-FileHash cmdlet.

Get-FileHash KeyVault-BYOK-Tools-*.zip

The toolset includes:

  • A Key Exchange Key (KEK) package that has a name beginning with BYOK-KEK-pkg-.
  • A Security World package that has a name beginning with BYOK-SecurityWorld-pkg-.
  • A Python script named verifykeypackage.py.
  • A command-line executable file named KeyTransferRemote.exe and associated DLLs.
  • A Visual C++ Redistributable Package, named vcredist_x64.exe.

Copy the package to a USB drive or other portable storage.

Prepare your disconnected workstation

For this second step, do the following procedures on the workstation that is not connected to a network (either the Internet or your internal network).

Prepare the disconnected workstation with nCipher nShield HSM

Install the nCipher support software on a Windows computer, and then attach a nCipher nShield HSM to that computer.

Ensure that the nCipher tools are in your path (%nfast_home%\bin). For example, type :

set PATH=%PATH%;"%nfast_home%\bin"

For more information, see the user guide included with the nShield HSM.

Install the BYOK toolset on the disconnected workstation

Copy the BYOK toolset package from the USB drive or other portable storage, and then:

  1. Extract the files from the downloaded package into any folder.
  2. From that folder, run vcredist_x64.exe.
  3. Follow the instructions to the install the Visual C++ runtime components for Visual Studio 2013.

Generate your key

For this third step, do the following procedures on the disconnected workstation. To complete this step your HSM must be in initialization mode.

Change the HSM mode to 'I'

If you are using nCipher nShield Edge, to change the mode: 1. Use the Mode button to highlight the required mode. 2. Within a few seconds, press and hold the Clear button for a couple of seconds. If the mode changes, the new mode's LED stops flashing and remains lit. The Status LED might flash irregularly for a few seconds and then flashes regularly when the device is ready. Otherwise, the device remains in the current mode, with the appropriate mode LED lit.

Create a security world

Start a command prompt and run the nCipher new-world program.

 new-world.exe --initialize --cipher-suite=DLf3072s256mRijndael --module=1 --acs-quorum=2/3

This program creates a Security World file at %NFAST_KMDATA%\local\world, which corresponds to the C:\ProgramData\nCipher\Key Management Data\local folder. You can use different values for the quorum but in our example, you're prompted to enter three blank cards and pins for each one. Then, any two cards give full access to the security world. These cards become the Administrator Card Set for the new security world.

Note

If your HSM does not support the newer cypher suite DLf3072s256mRijndael, you can replace --cipher-suite= DLf3072s256mRijndael with --cipher-suite=DLf1024s160mRijndael.

Security world created with new-world.exe that ships with nCipher software version 12.50 is not compatible with this BYOK procedure. There are two options available:

  1. Downgrade nCipher software version to 12.40.2 to create a new security world.
  2. Contact nCipher support and request them to provide a hotfix for 12.50 software version, which allows you to use 12.40.2 version of new-world.exe that is compatible with this BYOK procedure.

Then:

  • Back up the world file. Secure and protect the world file, the Administrator Cards, and their pins, and make sure that no single person has access to more than one card.

Change the HSM mode to 'O'

If you are using nCipher nShield Edge, to change the mode: 1. Use the Mode button to highlight the required mode. 2. Within a few seconds, press and hold the Clear button for a couple of seconds. If the mode changes, the new mode's LED stops flashing and remains lit. The Status LED might flash irregularly for a few seconds and then flashes regularly when the device is ready. Otherwise, the device remains in the current mode, with the appropriate mode LED lit.

Validate the downloaded package

This step is optional but recommended so that you can validate the following:

  • The Key Exchange Key that is included in the toolset has been generated from a genuine nCipher nShield HSM.
  • The hash of the Security World that is included in the toolset has been generated in a genuine nCipher nShield HSM.
  • The Key Exchange Key is non-exportable.

Note

To validate the downloaded package, the HSM must be connected, powered on, and must have a security world on it (such as the one you've just created).

To validate the downloaded package:

  1. Run the verifykeypackage.py script by typing one of the following, depending on your geographic region or instance of Azure:

    • For North America:

      "%nfast_home%\python\bin\python" verifykeypackage.py -k BYOK-KEK-pkg-NA-1 -w BYOK-SecurityWorld-pkg-NA-1
      
    • For Europe:

      "%nfast_home%\python\bin\python" verifykeypackage.py -k BYOK-KEK-pkg-EU-1 -w BYOK-SecurityWorld-pkg-EU-1
      
    • For Asia:

      "%nfast_home%\python\bin\python" verifykeypackage.py -k BYOK-KEK-pkg-AP-1 -w BYOK-SecurityWorld-pkg-AP-1
      
    • For Latin America:

      "%nfast_home%\python\bin\python" verifykeypackage.py -k BYOK-KEK-pkg-LATAM-1 -w BYOK-SecurityWorld-pkg-LATAM-1
      
    • For Japan:

      "%nfast_home%\python\bin\python" verifykeypackage.py -k BYOK-KEK-pkg-JPN-1 -w BYOK-SecurityWorld-pkg-JPN-1
      
    • For Korea:

      "%nfast_home%\python\bin\python" verifykeypackage.py -k BYOK-KEK-pkg-KOREA-1 -w BYOK-SecurityWorld-pkg-KOREA-1
      
    • For South Africa:

      "%nfast_home%\python\bin\python" verifykeypackage.py -k BYOK-KEK-pkg-SA-1 -w BYOK-SecurityWorld-pkg-SA-1
      
    • For UAE:

      "%nfast_home%\python\bin\python" verifykeypackage.py -k BYOK-KEK-pkg-UAE-1 -w BYOK-SecurityWorld-pkg-UAE-1
      
    • For Australia:

      "%nfast_home%\python\bin\python" verifykeypackage.py -k BYOK-KEK-pkg-AUS-1 -w BYOK-SecurityWorld-pkg-AUS-1
      
    • For Azure Government, which uses the US government instance of Azure:

      "%nfast_home%\python\bin\python" verifykeypackage.py -k BYOK-KEK-pkg-USGOV-1 -w BYOK-SecurityWorld-pkg-USGOV-1
      
    • For US Government DOD:

      "%nfast_home%\python\bin\python" verifykeypackage.py -k BYOK-KEK-pkg-USDOD-1 -w BYOK-SecurityWorld-pkg-USDOD-1
      
    • For Canada:

      "%nfast_home%\python\bin\python" verifykeypackage.py -k BYOK-KEK-pkg-CANADA-1 -w BYOK-SecurityWorld-pkg-CANADA-1
      
    • For Germany:

      "%nfast_home%\python\bin\python" verifykeypackage.py -k BYOK-KEK-pkg-GERMANY-1 -w BYOK-SecurityWorld-pkg-GERMANY-1
      
    • For Germany Public:

      "%nfast_home%\python\bin\python" verifykeypackage.py -k BYOK-KEK-pkg-GERMANY-1 -w BYOK-SecurityWorld-pkg-GERMANY-1
      
    • For India:

      "%nfast_home%\python\bin\python" verifykeypackage.py -k BYOK-KEK-pkg-INDIA-1 -w BYOK-SecurityWorld-pkg-INDIA-1
      
    • For France:

      "%nfast_home%\python\bin\python" verifykeypackage.py -k BYOK-KEK-pkg-FRANCE-1 -w BYOK-SecurityWorld-pkg-FRANCE-1
      
    • For United Kingdom:

      "%nfast_home%\python\bin\python" verifykeypackage.py -k BYOK-KEK-pkg-UK-1 -w BYOK-SecurityWorld-pkg-UK-1
      
    • For Switzerland:

      "%nfast_home%\python\bin\python" verifykeypackage.py -k BYOK-KEK-pkg-SUI-1 -w BYOK-SecurityWorld-pkg-SUI-1
      

      Tip

      The nCipher nShield software includes Python at %NFAST_HOME%\python\bin

  2. Confirm that you see the following, which indicates successful validation: Result: SUCCESS

This script validates the signer chain up to the nShield root key. The hash of this root key is embedded in the script and its value should be 59178a47 de508c3f 291277ee 184f46c4 f1d9c639. You can also confirm this value separately by visiting the nCipher website.

You're now ready to create a new key.

Create a new key

Generate a key by using the nCipher nShield generatekey program.

Run the following command to generate the key:

generatekey --generate simple type=RSA size=2048 protect=module ident=contosokey plainname=contosokey nvram=no pubexp=

When you run this command, use these instructions:

  • The parameter protect must be set to the value module, as shown. This creates a module-protected key. The BYOK toolset does not support OCS-protected keys.
  • Replace the value of contosokey for the ident and plainname with any string value. To minimize administrative overheads and reduce the risk of errors, we recommend that you use the same value for both. The ident value must contain only numbers, dashes, and lower case letters.
  • The pubexp is left blank (default) in this example, but you can specify specific values.

This command creates a Tokenized Key file in your %NFAST_KMDATA%\local folder with a name starting with key_simple_, followed by the ident that was specified in the command. For example: key_simple_contosokey. This file contains an encrypted key.

Back up this Tokenized Key File in a safe location.

Important

When you later transfer your key to Azure Key Vault, Microsoft cannot export this key back to you so it becomes extremely important that you back up your key and security world safely. Contact nCipher for guidance and best practices for backing up your key.

You are now ready to transfer your key to Azure Key Vault.

Prepare your key for transfer

For this fourth step, do the following procedures on the disconnected workstation.

Create a copy of your key with reduced permissions

Open a new command prompt and change the current directory to the location where you unzipped the BYOK zip file. To reduce the permissions on your key, from a command prompt, run one of the following, depending on your geographic region or instance of Azure:

  • For North America:

    KeyTransferRemote.exe -ModifyAcls -KeyAppName simple -KeyIdentifier contosokey -ExchangeKeyPackage BYOK-KEK-pkg-NA-1 -NewSecurityWorldPackage BYOK-SecurityWorld-pkg-NA-
    
  • For Europe:

    KeyTransferRemote.exe -ModifyAcls -KeyAppName simple -KeyIdentifier contosokey -ExchangeKeyPackage BYOK-KEK-pkg-EU-1 -NewSecurityWorldPackage BYOK-SecurityWorld-pkg-EU-1
    
  • For Asia:

    KeyTransferRemote.exe -ModifyAcls -KeyAppName simple -KeyIdentifier contosokey -ExchangeKeyPackage BYOK-KEK-pkg-AP-1 -NewSecurityWorldPackage BYOK-SecurityWorld-pkg-AP-1
    
  • For Latin America:

    KeyTransferRemote.exe -ModifyAcls -KeyAppName simple -KeyIdentifier contosokey -ExchangeKeyPackage BYOK-KEK-pkg-LATAM-1 -NewSecurityWorldPackage BYOK-SecurityWorld-pkg-LATAM-1
    
  • For Japan:

    KeyTransferRemote.exe -ModifyAcls -KeyAppName simple -KeyIdentifier contosokey -ExchangeKeyPackage BYOK-KEK-pkg-JPN-1 -NewSecurityWorldPackage BYOK-SecurityWorld-pkg-JPN-1
    
  • For Korea:

    KeyTransferRemote.exe -ModifyAcls -KeyAppName simple -KeyIdentifier contosokey -ExchangeKeyPackage BYOK-KEK-pkg-KOREA-1 -NewSecurityWorldPackage BYOK-SecurityWorld-pkg-KOREA-1
    
  • For South Africa:

    KeyTransferRemote.exe -ModifyAcls -KeyAppName simple -KeyIdentifier contosokey -ExchangeKeyPackage BYOK-KEK-pkg-SA-1 -NewSecurityWorldPackage BYOK-SecurityWorld-pkg-SA-1
    
  • For UAE:

    KeyTransferRemote.exe -ModifyAcls -KeyAppName simple -KeyIdentifier contosokey -ExchangeKeyPackage BYOK-KEK-pkg-UAE-1 -NewSecurityWorldPackage BYOK-SecurityWorld-pkg-UAE-1
    
  • For Australia:

    KeyTransferRemote.exe -ModifyAcls -KeyAppName simple -KeyIdentifier contosokey -ExchangeKeyPackage BYOK-KEK-pkg-AUS-1 -NewSecurityWorldPackage BYOK-SecurityWorld-pkg-AUS-1
    
  • For Azure Government, which uses the US government instance of Azure:

    KeyTransferRemote.exe -ModifyAcls -KeyAppName simple -KeyIdentifier contosokey -ExchangeKeyPackage BYOK-KEK-pkg-USGOV-1 -NewSecurityWorldPackage BYOK-SecurityWorld-pkg-USGOV-1
    
  • For US Government DOD:

    KeyTransferRemote.exe -ModifyAcls -KeyAppName simple -KeyIdentifier contosokey -ExchangeKeyPackage BYOK-KEK-pkg-USDOD-1 -NewSecurityWorldPackage BYOK-SecurityWorld-pkg-USDOD-1
    
  • For Canada:

    KeyTransferRemote.exe -ModifyAcls -KeyAppName simple -KeyIdentifier contosokey -ExchangeKeyPackage BYOK-KEK-pkg-CANADA-1 -NewSecurityWorldPackage BYOK-SecurityWorld-pkg-CANADA-1
    
  • For Germany:

    KeyTransferRemote.exe -ModifyAcls -KeyAppName simple -KeyIdentifier contosokey -ExchangeKeyPackage BYOK-KEK-pkg-GERMANY-1 -NewSecurityWorldPackage BYOK-SecurityWorld-pkg-GERMANY-1
    
  • For Germany Public:

    KeyTransferRemote.exe -ModifyAcls -KeyAppName simple -KeyIdentifier contosokey -ExchangeKeyPackage BYOK-KEK-pkg-GERMANY-1 -NewSecurityWorldPackage BYOK-SecurityWorld-pkg-GERMANY-1
    
  • For India:

    KeyTransferRemote.exe -ModifyAcls -KeyAppName simple -KeyIdentifier contosokey -ExchangeKeyPackage BYOK-KEK-pkg-INDIA-1 -NewSecurityWorldPackage BYOK-SecurityWorld-pkg-INDIA-1
    
  • For France:

    KeyTransferRemote.exe -ModifyAcls -KeyAppName simple -KeyIdentifier contosokey -ExchangeKeyPackage BYOK-KEK-pkg-FRANCE-1 -NewSecurityWorldPackage BYOK-SecurityWorld-pkg-FRANCE-1
    
  • For United Kingdom:

    KeyTransferRemote.exe -ModifyAcls -KeyAppName simple -KeyIdentifier contosokey -ExchangeKeyPackage BYOK-KEK-pkg-UK-1 -NewSecurityWorldPackage BYOK-SecurityWorld-pkg-UK-1
    
  • For Switzerland:

    KeyTransferRemote.exe -ModifyAcls -KeyAppName simple -KeyIdentifier contosokey -ExchangeKeyPackage BYOK-KEK-pkg-SUI-1 -NewSecurityWorldPackage BYOK-SecurityWorld-pkg-SUI-1
    

When you run this command, replace contosokey with the same value you specified in Step 3.5: Create a new key from the Generate your key step.

You are asked to plug in your security world admin cards.

When the command completes, you see Result: SUCCESS and the copy of your key with reduced permissions are in the file named key_xferacId_<contosokey>.

You may inspects the ACLS using following commands using the nCipher nShield utilities:

  • aclprint.py:

    "%nfast_home%\bin\preload.exe" -m 1 -A xferacld -K contosokey "%nfast_home%\python\bin\python" "%nfast_home%\python\examples\aclprint.py"
    
  • kmfile-dump.exe:

    "%nfast_home%\bin\kmfile-dump.exe" "%NFAST_KMDATA%\local\key_xferacld_contosokey"
    

    When you run these commands, replace contosokey with the same value you specified in Step 3.5: Create a new key from the Generate your key step.

Encrypt your key by using Microsoft's Key Exchange Key

Run one of the following commands, depending on your geographic region or instance of Azure:

  • For North America:

    KeyTransferRemote.exe -Package -KeyIdentifier contosokey -ExchangeKeyPackage BYOK-KEK-pkg-NA-1 -NewSecurityWorldPackage BYOK-SecurityWorld-pkg-NA-1 -SubscriptionId SubscriptionID -KeyFriendlyName ContosoFirstHSMkey
    
  • For Europe:

    KeyTransferRemote.exe -Package -KeyIdentifier contosokey -ExchangeKeyPackage BYOK-KEK-pkg-EU-1 -NewSecurityWorldPackage BYOK-SecurityWorld-pkg-EU-1 -SubscriptionId SubscriptionID -KeyFriendlyName ContosoFirstHSMkey
    
  • For Asia:

    KeyTransferRemote.exe -Package -KeyIdentifier contosokey -ExchangeKeyPackage BYOK-KEK-pkg-AP-1 -NewSecurityWorldPackage BYOK-SecurityWorld-pkg-AP-1 -SubscriptionId SubscriptionID -KeyFriendlyName ContosoFirstHSMkey
    
  • For Latin America:

    KeyTransferRemote.exe -Package -KeyIdentifier contosokey -ExchangeKeyPackage BYOK-KEK-pkg-LATAM-1 -NewSecurityWorldPackage BYOK-SecurityWorld-pkg-LATAM-1 -SubscriptionId SubscriptionID -KeyFriendlyName ContosoFirstHSMkey
    
  • For Japan:

    KeyTransferRemote.exe -Package -KeyIdentifier contosokey -ExchangeKeyPackage BYOK-KEK-pkg-JPN-1 -NewSecurityWorldPackage BYOK-SecurityWorld-pkg-JPN-1 -SubscriptionId SubscriptionID -KeyFriendlyName ContosoFirstHSMkey
    
  • For Korea:

    KeyTransferRemote.exe -Package -KeyIdentifier contosokey -ExchangeKeyPackage BYOK-KEK-pkg-KOREA-1 -NewSecurityWorldPackage BYOK-SecurityWorld-pkg-KOREA-1 -SubscriptionId SubscriptionID -KeyFriendlyName ContosoFirstHSMkey
    
  • For South Africa:

    KeyTransferRemote.exe -Package -KeyIdentifier contosokey -ExchangeKeyPackage BYOK-KEK-pkg-SA-1 -NewSecurityWorldPackage BYOK-SecurityWorld-pkg-SA-1 -SubscriptionId SubscriptionID -KeyFriendlyName ContosoFirstHSMkey
    
  • For UAE:

    KeyTransferRemote.exe -Package -KeyIdentifier contosokey -ExchangeKeyPackage BYOK-KEK-pkg-UAE-1 -NewSecurityWorldPackage BYOK-SecurityWorld-pkg-UAE-1 -SubscriptionId SubscriptionID -KeyFriendlyName ContosoFirstHSMkey
    
  • For Australia:

    KeyTransferRemote.exe -Package -KeyIdentifier contosokey -ExchangeKeyPackage BYOK-KEK-pkg-AUS-1 -NewSecurityWorldPackage BYOK-SecurityWorld-pkg-AUS-1 -SubscriptionId SubscriptionID -KeyFriendlyName ContosoFirstHSMkey
    
  • For Azure Government, which uses the US government instance of Azure:

    KeyTransferRemote.exe -Package -KeyIdentifier contosokey -ExchangeKeyPackage BYOK-KEK-pkg-USGOV-1 -NewSecurityWorldPackage BYOK-SecurityWorld-pkg-USGOV-1 -SubscriptionId SubscriptionID -KeyFriendlyName ContosoFirstHSMkey
    
  • For US Government DOD:

    KeyTransferRemote.exe -Package -KeyIdentifier contosokey -ExchangeKeyPackage BYOK-KEK-pkg-USDOD-1 -NewSecurityWorldPackage BYOK-SecurityWorld-pkg-USDOD-1 -SubscriptionId SubscriptionID -KeyFriendlyName ContosoFirstHSMkey
    
  • For Canada:

    KeyTransferRemote.exe -Package -KeyIdentifier contosokey -ExchangeKeyPackage BYOK-KEK-pkg-CANADA-1 -NewSecurityWorldPackage BYOK-SecurityWorld-pkg-CANADA-1 -SubscriptionId SubscriptionID -KeyFriendlyName ContosoFirstHSMkey
    
  • For Germany:

    KeyTransferRemote.exe -Package -KeyIdentifier contosokey -ExchangeKeyPackage BYOK-KEK-pkg-GERMANY-1 -NewSecurityWorldPackage BYOK-SecurityWorld-pkg-GERMANY-1 -SubscriptionId SubscriptionID -KeyFriendlyName ContosoFirstHSMkey
    
  • For Germany Public:

    KeyTransferRemote.exe -Package -KeyIdentifier contosokey -ExchangeKeyPackage BYOK-KEK-pkg-GERMANY-1 -NewSecurityWorldPackage BYOK-SecurityWorld-pkg-GERMANY-1 -SubscriptionId SubscriptionID -KeyFriendlyName ContosoFirstHSMkey
    
  • For India:

    KeyTransferRemote.exe -Package -KeyIdentifier contosokey -ExchangeKeyPackage BYOK-KEK-pkg-INDIA-1 -NewSecurityWorldPackage BYOK-SecurityWorld-pkg-INDIA-1 -SubscriptionId SubscriptionID -KeyFriendlyName ContosoFirstHSMkey
    
  • For France:

    KeyTransferRemote.exe -Package -KeyIdentifier contosokey -ExchangeKeyPackage BYOK-KEK-pkg-France-1 -NewSecurityWorldPackage BYOK-SecurityWorld-pkg-France-1 -SubscriptionId SubscriptionID -KeyFriendlyName ContosoFirstHSMkey
    
  • For United Kingdom:

    KeyTransferRemote.exe -Package -KeyIdentifier contosokey -ExchangeKeyPackage BYOK-KEK-pkg-UK-1 -NewSecurityWorldPackage BYOK-SecurityWorld-pkg-UK-1 -SubscriptionId SubscriptionID -KeyFriendlyName ContosoFirstHSMkey
    
  • For Switzerland:

    KeyTransferRemote.exe -Package -KeyIdentifier contosokey -ExchangeKeyPackage BYOK-KEK-pkg-SUI-1 -NewSecurityWorldPackage BYOK-SecurityWorld-pkg-SUI-1 -SubscriptionId SubscriptionID -KeyFriendlyName ContosoFirstHSMkey
    

When you run this command, use these instructions:

  • Replace contosokey with the identifier that you used to generate the key in Step 3.5: Create a new key from the Generate your key step.
  • Replace SubscriptionID with the ID of the Azure subscription that contains your key vault. You retrieved this value previously, in Step 1.2: Get your Azure subscription ID from the Prepare your Internet-connected workstation step.
  • Replace ContosoFirstHSMKey with a label that is used for your output file name.

When this completes successfully, it displays Result: SUCCESS and there is a new file in the current folder that has the following name: KeyTransferPackage-ContosoFirstHSMkey.byok

Copy your key transfer package to the Internet-connected workstation

Use a USB drive or other portable storage to copy the output file from the previous step (KeyTransferPackage-ContosoFirstHSMkey.byok) to your Internet-connected workstation.

Transfer your key to Azure Key Vault

For this final step, on the Internet-connected workstation, use the Add-AzKeyVaultKey cmdlet to upload the key transfer package that you copied from the disconnected workstation to the Azure Key Vault HSM:

     Add-AzKeyVaultKey -VaultName 'ContosoKeyVaultHSM' -Name 'ContosoFirstHSMkey' -KeyFilePath 'c:\KeyTransferPackage-ContosoFirstHSMkey.byok' -Destination 'HSM'

If the upload is successful, you see displayed the properties of the key that you just added.

Next steps

You can now use this HSM-protected key in your key vault. For more information, see this price and feature comparison.