Credential Sharing Policy Template: Free Download for IT Teams

Section 1: Purpose and Scope

This policy establishes the requirements for securely sharing credentials, secrets, and sensitive access information within [Organization Name]. It applies to all employees, contractors, consultants, and third parties who create, manage, or share credentials for any system, application, or service used by or on behalf of [Organization Name].

Credentials covered by this policy include but are not limited to: passwords, API keys, access tokens, SSH keys, encryption keys, database connection strings, service account credentials, MFA recovery codes, and any other authentication or authorization secrets.

Section 2: Approved Credential Sharing Methods

The following methods are approved for sharing credentials. All credential sharing must use one of these methods:

1. Enterprise Password Manager (e.g., 1Password, Bitwarden, LastPass Enterprise) — for persistent shared credentials that multiple team members need ongoing access to. Credentials are stored encrypted, with access controls, audit logging, and the ability to revoke access.
2. Zero-Knowledge Encrypted Sharing Tools (e.g., SecureBin.ai) — for one-time credential transfers, onboarding new team members, sharing with external parties, or any scenario where the credential should not persist in a shared vault. Links must be configured to self-destruct after a single view or within 24 hours, whichever comes first.
3. Secrets Manager (e.g., AWS Secrets Manager, Azure Key Vault, HashiCorp Vault) — for application and infrastructure secrets. Secrets are retrieved programmatically by authorized services. Human access is restricted to administrators through the secrets manager's console or CLI with MFA.
4. In-Person Verbal Communication — for highly sensitive credentials (root accounts, break-glass passwords) where no digital record should exist. The recipient must immediately store the credential in an approved password manager or secrets manager.

Section 3: Prohibited Credential Sharing Methods

The following methods are strictly prohibited for sharing credentials:

• Email (including encrypted email) — creates persistent, searchable records in multiple mail systems
• Instant messaging (Slack, Teams, Discord, WhatsApp, iMessage, SMS) — messages are archived, searchable, and may be subject to compliance exports
• Shared documents (Google Docs, Confluence, Notion, SharePoint, wikis) — lack proper access controls and audit trails for credential management
• Source code repositories (GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket) — even in private repos, credentials in code are accessible to all contributors and persist in git history
• Ticketing systems (Jira, ServiceNow, Zendesk) — ticket contents are accessible to support staff and persist in backups
• Physical media (sticky notes, printed documents, whiteboards) — no access controls, no audit trail, visible to anyone in the physical space
• Unencrypted file transfer (FTP, HTTP, unencrypted USB drives) — credentials transmitted or stored in plaintext
• Screen sharing during video calls — credentials may be recorded, screenshotted, or visible to unintended participants

Section 4: Credential Classification

All credentials must be classified according to the following tiers, which determine sharing requirements and rotation schedules:

Tier	Examples	Sharing Method	Rotation
Critical	Root/admin accounts, encryption master keys, break-glass credentials	In-person only, then password manager (restricted vault)	90 days or immediately after use
High	Production database passwords, cloud admin credentials, API keys with write access	Password manager or secrets manager only	90 days
Medium	Staging credentials, read-only API keys, vendor portal logins	Password manager, secrets manager, or encrypted sharing tool	180 days
Low	WiFi passwords, public API keys, demo account credentials	Any approved method	Annually

Section 5: Credential Sharing Procedures

5.1 Sharing With Internal Team Members

1. Verify the recipient's identity and their need for the credential (principle of least privilege)
2. Check if the credential already exists in the password manager — if so, grant access to the existing entry rather than creating a duplicate
3. If the credential must be shared as a new transfer, use SecureBin.ai to create a self-destructing encrypted link
4. Send the link via a separate channel from the context about what the credential is for
5. Confirm with the recipient that they have received and stored the credential
6. Verify the encrypted link has been consumed (self-destructed)

5.2 Sharing With External Parties (Clients, Vendors, Partners)

1. Verify the recipient's identity through a trusted channel (phone call to known number, verified email address)
2. Create a self-destructing encrypted link using SecureBin.ai with a maximum expiration of 24 hours
3. Add password protection to the link when sharing with external parties
4. Share the link via one channel and the password via a different channel (e.g., link via email, password via phone)
5. Log the sharing event in the credential sharing register
6. Set a reminder to rotate the credential if it provides ongoing access

5.3 Onboarding New Team Members

1. Provision access through the password manager by adding the new member to appropriate shared vaults
2. For credentials that cannot be provisioned through the password manager, use SecureBin.ai encrypted links
3. Never pre-create a document or email with "all the passwords a new hire needs"
4. Complete credential provisioning within the new hire's first day
5. Log all credentials provisioned in the onboarding checklist

5.4 Offboarding Departing Team Members

1. Immediately revoke access to the password manager and all shared vaults
2. Rotate all credentials the departing member had access to within 24 hours for Critical/High tier and within 7 days for Medium/Low tier
3. Revoke SSO sessions, VPN access, cloud console access, and SSH keys
4. Audit the departing member's recent activity for any credential exports or anomalous access
5. Document the offboarding in the credential sharing register

Section 6: Credential Requirements

All credentials managed under this policy must meet the following minimum requirements:

• Passwords: Minimum 16 characters, generated by a password generator. No dictionary words, no personal information, no reuse across services.
• API keys: Generated by the service provider's official mechanism. Never hardcoded in source code, configuration files committed to version control, or client-side code.
• SSH keys: ED25519 or RSA 4096-bit minimum. Protected by a passphrase. Generated per-user, never shared between individuals.
• MFA: Required on all accounts that support it. Use authenticator apps or hardware tokens. SMS-based MFA is acceptable only when no alternative exists.
• Service accounts: Unique credentials per service, per environment. No shared service accounts across production and staging.

Section 7: Audit and Monitoring

[Organization Name] will conduct the following audit activities:

• Quarterly: Review password manager audit logs for unusual access patterns. Verify shared vault membership matches current team composition.
• Quarterly: Run exposure checks on company domains and secret scanning on code repositories.
• Semi-annually: Audit Slack/Teams message history for credential-like patterns (DLP rule reports).
• Annually: Full credential sharing policy review and update. Verify rotation schedules are being met. Test incident response procedures for credential compromise.
• On-demand: Audit triggered by security incidents, employee departures, or compliance requirements.

Audit results must be documented and retained for a minimum of 3 years. Findings must be reported to the Information Security Officer within 5 business days.

Section 8: Incident Response for Credential Compromise

If a credential is suspected or confirmed to be compromised:

1. Immediately rotate the compromised credential. Do not wait for confirmation.
2. Assess the blast radius: Identify all systems, services, and data the credential provided access to.
3. Review access logs: Determine if the credential was used by an unauthorized party, what was accessed, and the time window of potential compromise.
4. Notify the Information Security Officer within 1 hour of discovery.
5. Rotate related credentials: If the compromised credential could have been used to access other credentials (e.g., a compromised admin account with access to the password manager), rotate those credentials as well.
6. Document the incident, root cause, and remediation in the incident register.
7. Update this policy if the incident reveals a gap in the current controls.

Section 9: Enforcement and Consequences

Compliance with this policy is mandatory for all persons covered by its scope.

• First violation: Verbal warning with mandatory security awareness refresher training.
• Second violation: Written warning documented in the employee's file. Manager notification.
• Third violation or any violation involving Critical/High tier credentials: Disciplinary action up to and including termination, in accordance with [Organization Name]'s HR policies.
• Contractors and third parties: Violations may result in immediate termination of engagement and revocation of all access.

Violations discovered during audits will be treated as first violations unless evidence indicates the employee was aware of the policy and intentionally circumvented it.

Section 10: Training Requirements

• New hire training: All new employees must complete credential security training within 14 days of start date, covering this policy, approved tools, and how to use them.
• Annual refresher: All employees must complete annual credential security refresher training.
• Role-based training: IT administrators, DevOps engineers, and anyone with access to Critical/High tier credentials must complete advanced secrets management training.
• Policy updates: When this policy is updated, all covered persons must acknowledge the changes within 30 days.

Section 11: Policy Governance

• Policy owner: Information Security Officer (or equivalent)
• Review cycle: Annually, or after any security incident involving credential compromise
• Approval authority: CTO / CISO / VP of Engineering (as applicable)
• Effective date: [Date]
• Version: 1.0