Finally, Zero Secrets in Terraform State, Here’s How

Terraform state files are a silent security risk — and most teams don’t even realize it. In this video, we walk through exactly how sensitive secrets like API keys and DB passwords can leak through your Terraform state, even if they appear masked in the plan output.

But don’t worry — there’s a fix.

We’ll show you two live demos:

1. Insecure setup – see exactly how secrets get exposed.

2. Secure setup – using write_only attributes and ephemeral blocks in Terraform 1.11+ to protect secrets in Vault and eliminate state file exposure.

🔐 What You’ll Learn:

✅ Why sensitive values still leak through state files
✅ Real attack vectors from shared state storage and Git
✅ How to use data_json_wo and ephemeral blocks securely
✅ How Vault + Terraform dynamic secrets actually work

#Terraform #Vault #Security #CloudSecurity #IaC #PlatformEngineering

▬▬▬▬▬▬ T I M E S T A M P S ⏰ ▬▬▬▬▬▬
00:00 Introduction: The Hidden Dangers of Terraform State Files
00:41 Setting Up the Insecure Environment
02:17 Demonstrating Insecure Terraform State
05:11 Analyzing the Security Risks
09:21 Introducing Secure Terraform Practices
09:38 Setting Up the Secure Environment
10:39 Demonstrating Secure Terraform State
11:52 Examining the Secure State File
17:41 Reviewing the Terraform Configuration
22:26 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Useful Links 🛠 ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

Related Blog Post ► https://tekanaid.com/posts/secure-ter...
Code ► https://tekanaid.com/posts/secure-ter...
Terraform Docs on write_only ► https://developer.hashicorp.com/terra...
Write-only attributes in the Vault provider ► https://developer.hashicorp.com/terra...
Ephemeral Resources in Terraform ► https://developer.hashicorp.com/terra...

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Playgrounds 🎠 ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

Playgrounds ► https://tekanaid.com/courses?category...

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Courses 🎓 ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

TeKanAid Academy Subscription ► https://bit.ly/subscription-premium
Terraform 101 - Certified Terraform Associate ► https://bit.ly/hc-terraform-101
🎟️ Get 15% off of my Terraform 101 Course with this coupon ► YOUTUBE15TF101
HashiCorp Sentinel 101 ► https://bit.ly/hc-sentinel-101
HashiCorp Vault 101 - Certified Vault Associate ► https://bit.ly/hc-vault-101
🎟️ Get 15% off of my Vault 101 Course with this coupon ► YOUTUBE15VAULT101
HashiCorp Vault 201 - Vault for Apps in Kubernetes ► https://bit.ly/hc-vault-201
HashiCorp Vault 202 for Operators ► https://bit.ly/hc-vault-202

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Community 🌎 ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

TeKanAid Community Forum ► https://tekanaid.com/community

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Connect 👋 ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

TeKanAid Academy ► https://tekanaid.com/courses
Website ► https://bit.ly/TeKanAid_Website
Facebook Page ► https://bit.ly/TeKanAid_Facebook
Don't forget to subscribe ► https://bit.ly/TeKanAid_YouTube_Subsc...
MEDIUM ► https://bit.ly/Sam_Medium
TWITTER TeKanAid ► https://bit.ly/TeKanAid_Twitter
TWITTER Sam ► https://bit.ly/Sam_Twitter
LINKEDIN TeKanAid ► https://bit.ly/TeKanAid_LinkedIn
LINKEDIN Sam ► https://bit.ly/Sam_linkedin