Method and device for managing secret keys

An embodiment of the invention relates to the field of information security, and discloses a method and a device for managing secret keys. The method includes enabling security agents to detect and determine whether secret key updating is required in shared memories or not; locking the secret keys in the shared memories if the secret key updating is detected by the security agents; enabling the security agents to judge whether secret key updating is completed or not, and unlocking the secret keys in the shared memories if secret key updating is completed. Secret key updating includes carrying out write operation or Hash computation on the secret keys. The method and the device in the embodiment of the invention have the advantages that locking operation is only carried out on the secret keys in the shared memories in secret key updating periods, and accordingly the secret key acquisition efficiency can be improved during secret key computation.