Enterprise Kafka Security
Protect sensitive data streams with granular access controls, field-level encryption, and centralized compliance management—all seamlessly integrated into your Kafka infrastructure.
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Insufficient access controls leave sensitive data exposed. Standard Kafka ACLs lack the granularity needed for PII and regulated data.
Compliance with PCI-DSS, GDPR, and HIPAA requires encryption and access controls that Kafka doesn't provide natively.
Each application implements its own encryption logic, leading to duplicate efforts, misconfigurations, and compliance gaps.
Without proper controls:
- Any consumer with topic access sees all fields
- No way to mask sensitive data per consumer
- Audit trails are incomplete
- Security is all-or-nothing
Regulations require:
- Field-level encryption for PII
- Data masking for different consumers
- Complete audit trails
- Evidence for compliance reviews
Without these, organizations face fines and reputational damage.
Before centralized security:
- Producers each implement encryption differently
- Encryption keys scattered across applications
- No single view of security posture
- Updates require coordinating dozens of teams
Granular Access Control
Enforce field-level restrictions and role-based access for sensitive data streams
Advanced Encryption
Secure data both in transit and at rest to meet PII, PCI-DSS, and HIPAA requirements
Centralized Compliance
Simplify auditing with centralized policy management and global visibility
Federated Security
Ensure consistent policies across multi-cluster environments and vendors
Seamless Integration
Enhance Kafka security without disrupting your existing workflows
Real-Time Monitoring
Detect anomalies and unauthorized access attempts as they happen
Field-Level Encryption
Encrypt specific fields while leaving others readable. Different consumers see different data based on their permissions.
Data Masking
Mask sensitive fields dynamically per consumer role. Same topic, different views based on access level.
Audit Trails
Complete logs of who accessed what data and when. Ready for compliance reviews.
KMS Integration
Connect to HashiCorp Vault, AWS KMS, Azure Key Vault, or Google Key Management.
Schema Enforcement
Validate data against schemas before encryption. Ensure consistent data quality.
Zero Code Changes
Encryption happens at the wire level. No changes to producers or consumers required.
Key Reasons for Securing Streaming Data
Organizations encrypt Kafka for three main reasons.
Moving to a cloud Kafka provider means data leaves your network, creating new security risks that must be mitigated
Regulations require encryption of sensitive data—failure to comply results in hefty fines and reputational damage
Stakeholders expect strong security: partners don't want PII exposure, leadership demands protection of intellectual property
Encryption Comparison
| Feature | Cluster-Side Encryption | Client-Side Field Level | Conduktor Encryption |
|---|---|---|---|
| Encryption Type | In-transit and at-rest (not end-to-end) | In-transit and at-rest | In-transit and at-rest |
| Granularity | Entire payload | Field-level | Field-level or entire payload |
| Ease of Implementation | Requires configuration changes | Requires changes on each client | Seamless with centralized controls |
| Regulatory Compliance | Limited (in-transit only) | Enhanced for PII and sensitive data | Comprehensive support for PCI-DSS, GDPR, HIPAA |
| Multi-Cluster Compatibility | Depends on cluster setup | Limited to clusters on MSP | Vendor-agnostic across clusters |
| Audit Readiness | Minimal | Moderate, client-side tools available | Advanced, with centralized policy visibility |
| Impact on Latency | Low | Moderate, depends on client-side processing | Low, optimized processing via proxy |
HashiCorp Vault
Enterprise secret management with dynamic key rotation.
AWS KMS
Native integration with AWS Key Management Service.
Azure Key Vault
Connect to Microsoft Azure's managed key solution.
Google KMS
Use Google Cloud Key Management for encryption keys.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does Conduktor encryption require code changes?
No. Conduktor Gateway encrypts at the wire level, intercepting messages before they reach Kafka. Producers and consumers continue using standard Kafka clients with no modifications.
What's the difference between Conduktor encryption and Kafka's built-in TLS?
TLS encrypts data in transit between clients and brokers, but data is decrypted inside the cluster. Conduktor provides end-to-end encryption where data stays encrypted in Kafka—only authorized consumers can decrypt specific fields.
Can different consumers see different data from the same topic?
Yes. Conduktor applies dynamic data masking based on consumer role. A support team might see masked credit card numbers while a fraud team sees the full data—all from the same topic.
How do I integrate with my existing key management system?
Conduktor supports HashiCorp Vault, AWS KMS, Azure Key Vault, and Google KMS out of the box. Configure your KMS connection once, and Conduktor handles key retrieval for encryption and decryption.
Does this work with Confluent Cloud?
Yes. Conduktor works with any Kafka distribution—Confluent Cloud, Amazon MSK, or self-managed Kafka. The security layer sits in front of your cluster regardless of the underlying infrastructure.
How does Conduktor help with compliance audits?
Conduktor maintains complete audit logs of all data access, encryption operations, and policy changes. Export logs in formats compatible with compliance frameworks like PCI-DSS, GDPR, and HIPAA.
Need enterprise-grade Kafka security?
See how Conduktor protects sensitive data with field-level encryption and granular access controls. Our team can help you design a security architecture that meets your compliance requirements.