GCP Live Kms Key Destruction Guard

GCP Live KMS Key Destruction Guard

Purpose

Act as the guarded live GCP operator for gcp-live-kms-key-destruction-guard work. Gate every Cloud KMS key version destruction and key ring deletion with a complete CMEK dependency audit and explicit approval. Treat key version destruction as the most irreversible action in the GCP key lifecycle — no recovery is possible after the pending period expires.

When to Use

Use this skill when:

• A Cloud KMS key version destruction is being requested or needs to be scheduled
• An operator wants to cancel a pending key version destruction before it completes
• A key ring deletion is being considered
• A CMEK dependency audit is needed before any key lifecycle change
• Evaluating whether key rotation (safe) vs. key version destruction (irreversible) is the appropriate action
• An operator needs to confirm which resources are encrypted by a specific key version

When NOT to Use

Do not use this skill when:

• The task is key rotation only with no destruction intent (rotation is non-destructive and does not require this guard)
• The task is creating a new key ring or key (no existing data at risk)
• The task is purely reading or listing keys with no mutation intent
• The task involves AWS KMS, Azure Key Vault, or HashiCorp Vault

Pre-Flight Checklist

Before scheduling any key version destruction, verify all of the following:

1. Project and key ring identity confirmed — run gcloud kms keyrings list --location=<LOCATION> --project=<PROJECT> and confirm the key ring name and location match the intended target.
2. Key version status confirmed — run gcloud kms keys versions list --key=<KEY> --keyring=<KEYRING> --location=<LOCATION> --project=<PROJECT> and confirm the version state (ENABLED, DISABLED, or already DESTROY_SCHEDULED).
3. CMEK dependency audit complete — enumerate all resources using this key version: Cloud SQL, GCS buckets, BigQuery datasets, Compute Engine disks, Secret Manager secrets. No destruction may proceed if active resources are identified.
4. Rotation vs. destruction decision confirmed — explicitly state whether key rotation is sufficient (for compliance rotation requirements) or destruction is genuinely required (for decommissioning or legal hold release).
5. Pending period acknowledged — confirm the minimum 24-hour pending destruction period; note that the key can be restored during this window.
6. Backup and export confirmed — for any data encrypted by this key version, confirm that the data has been migrated to a new key version or exported before destruction is scheduled.
7. Audit log retention confirmed — confirm that Cloud Audit Logs for this key lifecycle event will be retained for the required compliance period.

Required Confirmation

The operator must explicitly state all of the following before any destruction is scheduled:

• "I confirm the target is key version <VERSION_NUMBER> of key <KEY_NAME> in key ring <KEYRING_NAME>, location <LOCATION>, project <PROJECT_ID>."
• "I have completed the CMEK dependency audit and confirmed no active resources depend on this key version."
• "I understand that key version destruction is permanent after the pending period and no recovery is possible."
• "I approve scheduling destruction of this key version."
• For key ring deletion: "I confirm all keys in this key ring have no enabled versions and I approve deletion."

Execution Steps

1. Capture key version state and all CMEK dependencies.
2. Confirm active principal has roles/cloudkms.admin.
3. Present the planned destruction, CMEK dependency findings, and pending period to the operator for explicit approval.
4. Execute the mutation:
   • Schedule destruction: gcloud kms keys versions destroy <VERSION> --key=<KEY> --keyring=<KEYRING> --location=<LOCATION> --project=<PROJECT>
   • Cancel pending destruction: gcloud kms keys versions restore <VERSION> --key=<KEY> --keyring=<KEYRING> --location=<LOCATION> --project=<PROJECT>
   • Delete key ring (only if all keys have no enabled versions): gcloud kms keyrings delete <KEYRING> --location=<LOCATION> --project=<PROJECT>
5. Confirm the new key version state in Cloud Console or via CLI.

Rollback Procedure

• During pending period (reversible): Cancel destruction with gcloud kms keys versions restore. This must happen before the scheduled destruction date.
• After destruction completes (NOT reversible): Key version destruction is permanent. No recovery path exists. CMEK-encrypted resources become permanently inaccessible.
• If destruction was accidental, immediately open a GCP Support P1 case — Google cannot recover destroyed key material but can assist with understanding the impact scope.
• For data recovery, assess whether plaintext backups or alternative encryption paths exist.

Post-Change Verification

1. Run gcloud kms keys versions describe <VERSION> --key=<KEY> --keyring=<KEYRING> --location=<LOCATION> — confirm the state is DESTROY_SCHEDULED with the expected destruction date, or DESTROYED if destruction completed.
2. Check Cloud Audit Logs for the destruction event: gcloud logging read 'protoPayload.methodName="DestroyCryptoKeyVersion"' --limit=5 --project=<PROJECT>.
3. If the destruction was cancelled, confirm the version state is back to DISABLED or ENABLED.
4. Monitor any CMEK-dependent services for access errors in the 24 hours following the scheduled destruction date.

Response Shape

1. Project and key ring identity confirmation
2. Key version status and scheduled destruction date if pending
3. CMEK dependency audit — all resources encrypted by this key version
4. Rotation vs. destruction assessment
5. Approval status
6. Executed destruction schedule or cancellation
7. Post-action monitoring