Which method should the cloud consumer use to secure the management plane of the cloud service provider?

Securing the management plane of a cloud service provider is critical for maintaining control and ensuring that only authorized users can access sensitive management functionalities. Credential management is a foundational aspect of this security. By implementing strong credential management practices, cloud consumers can enforce strict access controls to the management interfaces.

This involves using secure authentication methods, such as multi-factor authentication, strong passwords, and proper credential rotation policies, to ensure that only trusted individuals can interact with the management plane. Moreover, centralizing credential storage and management can reduce the risk of human error, such as credential leaks or unauthorized access. Effective credential management acts as a robust first line of defense against unauthorized access and potential breaches.

While other methods such as network access control lists, agent-based security tools, or even disabling the management plane could play roles in a broader security strategy, they do not specifically address the control over who has access and how that access is monitored and regulated, which is the critical aspect that credential management fulfills.