Contractor Access Control with OpenSSL
Contractor access control is the quiet fault line in most security plans. Internal teams focus on encryption, two-factor auth, and intrusion detection—but they overlook the hard truth: contractors leave traces. Old keys, lingering tokens, forgotten certificates. Every unlocked door is a risk.
This is where OpenSSL becomes more than a library. Used right, it enforces identity with cryptographic certainty. With OpenSSL, you can generate short-lived certificates for each contractor, revoke them instantly when the work is done, and audit every handshake they make with your systems. No long trust periods. No permanent credentials.
The simplest approach: issue a unique certificate per contractor for the specific service or repository they need. Sign it with your internal CA, define strict expiry dates, and store the revocation list on a system that your servers check in real time. OpenSSL commands make this practical—openssl req, openssl ca, and openssl verify aren’t glamorous, but they build the walls and lock the gates.
- No shared credentials.
- No VPN accounts set to “never expire.”
- No blind spots in your logs.
Auditing is not optional. Every certificate must be traceable to a person, purpose, and end date. Every expired certificate must actually stop working. OpenSSL enables certificate revocation lists (CRLs) and OCSP responders for live status checks. Combined with automation, you can strip access within minutes.
The scale problem is real. One contractor might need a week of read-only access to a single S3 bucket. Another might need full SSH control over dozens of servers for a two-month migration. Manually generating, tracking, and revoking certificates eats into your security budget and your sleep. That’s why connecting OpenSSL-based identity with centralized contractor access control platforms is the structural fix.
The difference between a patchwork of manual controls and a live, automated system is the difference between hoping a door is locked and knowing it is.
You can set this up, test it, and prove it works today. See it run in minutes at hoop.dev.