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Release: Australia · Updated: 2026-03-12 · Official documentation · View source

Column Level Encryption Enterprise walkthrough

This walkthrough shows you how to encrypt a field in your instance using Field Encryption Enterprise with the Key Management Framework (KMF). It also shows you how to use your own key.

Before you begin

Note: This procedure only applies to Column Level Encryption Enterprise functionality. See Activate Column Level Encryption Enterprise for more information on obtaining Column Level Encryption Enterprise.

Role required: admin or security_admin

Note: security_admin is a privileged role, for details on using privileged roles, see Elevate to a privileged role

About this task

This walkthrough starts with an instance where you have already created and uploaded your personal cryptographic key. You could use the ServiceNow key, but this example uses a customer-supplied key.

After the key has been stored in a cryptographic module, you can start configuring fields in your instance, such as salary or social security numbers that have limited access from certain users. In the Encrypted Field Configuration, specify which authorized personnel can access sensitive data.

This task demonstrates two scenarios. One example encrypts the Short Description field in an Incident for users who are not authorized to view the sensitive data.

Attachments can also be encrypted and only visible to users who are granted access, or is visible to all users that are not restricted from viewing the data. See Attachment encryption walkthrough to encrypt an attachment.

Procedure

  1. Make sure that Column Level Encryption Enterprise is enabled.

  2. Create a cryptographic module for column_level_encryption.

    See Create cryptographic module for Column Level Encryption Create a cryptographic module for more information.

  3. Navigate to System Security > Encrypted Field Configurations.

  4. Click New.

  5. On the form, fill in the fields.

    FieldDescription
    TypeColumn is required to use your personal key.
    TableTable that stores the sensitive information. For this example, select Incident [incident].
    ColumnColumn, or specific information, that represents the sensitive date to be encrypted. For this example, select short_description.
    ActiveOption to mark Active to use the field configuration.
    Algorithm Equality PreservingThe option is automatically selected.
    Crypto moduleModule that you created to use with the personal key.
    MethodThe Single Module option is used to apply the policies for one module. Multiple Modules is used to apply the policies across multiple modules.
Image omitted: cleexample.png
Shows a completed Encrypted Field Configuration.
  1. Click Submit.

    Establish a Module Access Policy to assign access to the cryptographic module. See Create a module access policy for additional information.

  2. Navigate to Key Management > Module Access Policies > * > *Create New > .

  3. On the form, fill in the fields.

    FieldDescription
    Policy nameName for the policy, such, as short description.
    Crypto moduleCrypto module that you created to encrypt your key.
    TypeType of access designation for the crypto policy. Use Role to grant access to the encrypted field to only those users that have the assigned role.
    Target RoleThe role that has access to the encrypted field. For this example, select Admin.
    ActiveOption to activate the Module Access Policy.
    ResultThe Trackoption enables the access to the field for the selected role. (To restrict access to that field for the selected role, select Reject orStrict Reject.)
Image omitted: moduleaccesspolicyexample.png
Shows the completed module access policy form.
  1. Click Submit.

  2. As a user with the sn_kmf.admin role, navigate to Incident > New.

Image omitted: seeshortdescriptionasadmin.png
Shows the visible Short description data.
You can now view the Short description field based on the module access policy configuration.

**Note:** The sn\_kmf.admin role was granted user access to the encrypted field, Short description, by setting the module access policy to **Track**. Notice the lock icon \(
Image omitted: lock-icon.png
Lock icon.\) under the field name indicating that the field is an encrypted field.
You can now access the **Incidents** module as an end user to test the encrypted field configuration.
  1. Log in as a user to be restricted from viewing the encrypted data in the configured field.
Image omitted: encryptedfieldleveldata.png
Shows no value in the Short description after encryption.
When you access the incident number, the data in the Short description will not be visible.

Result

You have successfully used your symmetric key to control access to a specific field using Column Level Encryption Enterprise.

Parent Topic:Column Level Encryption Enterprise examples