Cybersecurity definition
What is BYOK / HYOK?
BYOK / HYOK stands for Bring Your Own Key / Hold Your Own Key.
By Cyber Tool Stack Editorial TeamUpdated
Definition
Two models for who controls the encryption keys protecting data in a cloud service: Bring Your Own Key lets a customer supply keys the provider still has some access to, while Hold Your Own Key keeps keys entirely outside the provider's infrastructure.
Where BYOK / HYOK fits in the security landscape
These beginner lessons use this term while explaining the surrounding security control.
Related cybersecurity terms
HSMHardware Security ModuleA dedicated, tamper-resistant hardware device that generates, stores, and uses cryptographic keys, so the keys themselves never have to leave secure hardware even when software using them is compromised.Envelope EncryptionA key-management pattern where data is encrypted with a fast, disposable data key, and that data key is itself encrypted with a more tightly controlled master key, so rotating the master key doesn't require re-encrypting all the underlying data.