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§ I · Domain IAM · Control 2 of 8
Control
IAM-02
Edition
v.1.3
Status
Public review

IAM · Identity, Access & Authorization · Critical

IAM-02Credential vault management

Agent credentials are stored in a managed secrets vault. Credentials are never embedded in prompts, source code, configuration files, or logs.

All agent credentials, API keys, tokens, certificates, are stored in a managed secrets vault with access logging and rotation support. Credentials are never embedded in prompts, source code, configuration files, or logs. This control prevents the most common credential-exposure vectors in agent deployments and ensures that credential lifecycle is managed centrally.

(Critical)A Critical failure precludes HI-AAF Certification regardless of the maturity level achieved on any other control.

Table IAM-02.1 · Maturity criteria · v.1.3

L1 to L5 · the lowest level in scope caps the agent
L1Ad hoc

Controls exist informally; documentation is incomplete; no consistent review.

L2Documented

Controls are written down; ownership is assigned; review cadence is defined.

L3Operated

Controls are followed in practice; evidence is collected; deviations are tracked.

All agent credentials are stored in a managed vault; no credentials appear in source code, configuration, prompts, or logs; vault access logs are reviewed at a documented cadence.

L4Measured

Control effectiveness is measured against documented thresholds; trends are reported.

L5Continuously Improved

Controls evolve based on incident learning; maturity gains are evidenced over time.

The v1.3 edition publishes a control-specific criterion at L3 (Operated). The other levels apply the general ladder to this control; see the maturity ladder.

Evidence an assessor asks for

  1. E.1

    All agent credentials are stored in a managed vault.

  2. E.2

    No credentials appear in source code, configuration, prompts, or logs.

  3. E.3

    Vault access logs are reviewed at a documented cadence.

Table IAM-02.2 · Framework mappings

4 of 7 frameworks carry a control-level reference
NIST AI RMF·NIST AI Risk Management Framework 1.0
ISO/IEC 42001A.7.4ISO/IEC 42001:2023 · Artificial intelligence management system
OWASP LLM Top 10·OWASP Top 10 for Large Language Model Applications
SOC 2 (TSC)CC6.1AICPA Trust Services Criteria for SOC 2 Type II
EU AI ActArt. 15(2)EU AI Act · Regulation (EU) 2024/1689
MITRE ATLAS·MITRE ATLAS · Adversarial Threat Landscape for AI Systems
SingaporePDPA s.24, AI Verify SecuritySingapore Model AI Governance Framework / AI Verify / PDPA

Mappings are directional: meeting this control evidences but does not by itself satisfy the external requirement. A middle dot means no control-level reference is published at this edition; see the crosswalk.

Cite this control

Human Intelligence. HI-AAF v1.3, IAM-02 Credential vault management. Public review edition, July 2026. https://humanintel.net/standard/iam/iam-02

Edition v.1.3 · July 2026 · Public review · Markdown · PDF

https://humanintel.net/standard/iam/iam-02

Notice

HI-AAF v1.3 is an independent framework published by Human Intelligence. It is not affiliated with NIST, ISO, AICPA, or any government or accreditation body. The framework is offered openly for review during the current draft cycle.