Lock Down Your PII Catalog TLS Configuration

You check the logs and see the telltale handshake error. Your PII Catalog TLS configuration is broken, and every second it stays that way is a liability.

TLS is the barrier between sensitive customer data and anyone trying to steal it. If you’re storing or processing Personally Identifiable Information (PII) in a catalog, a misconfigured certificate or protocol setting is an open door. Strong encryption is not optional. The configuration must be precise, verified, and continuously monitored.

Start with the protocol version. Disable TLS 1.0 and 1.1. Enforce TLS 1.2 at minimum, TLS 1.3 if your stack supports it. This eliminates weak ciphers and removes the risk of downgrade attacks.

Set strict cipher suites. Prefer authenticated encryption such as AES-GCM or ChaCha20-Poly1305. Block null ciphers, RC4, DES, and export-grade suites entirely.

Use certificates from a trusted Certificate Authority, with a validity period short enough to limit risk but long enough to avoid constant renewal overhead. Automate renewals with ACME clients and test in staging before pushing changes to production.

Enable OCSP stapling for faster revocation checks. Turn on HSTS to force HTTPS for all connections. Consider mutual TLS for services accessing the PII Catalog in internal networks to verify both ends of the connection.

Audit your TLS configuration regularly. Use a tool like SSL Labs or your own automated scan in CI/CD. Every code deployment and infrastructure change poses a chance to break TLS hardening, so test continuously.

The PII Catalog TLS configuration isn’t just a security checklist. It’s a living part of your system that affects compliance, performance, and trust. Lock it down, verify it, and iterate as threats evolve.

See how it works in a live, secure environment at hoop.dev and get your PII Catalog TLS configuration deployed in minutes.