METHOD AND APPARATUS PROVIDING A FRAMEWORK FOR SECURE INFORMATION LIFECYCLE

A method, apparatus and computer program product for handling secure information (e.g., a password, an account number, a personal identification number (PIN), a user identifier, an encryption key, and a path where said secure information is stored) is presented. Secure information is stored in a software container. A plurality of representations of the secure information is provided, each of the plurality of representations for use under different conditions. Dependent on the particular condition, at least one of the plurality of representations of the secure information is provided by the container. The container holds the secure information during all stages of processing in a manner that prevents unauthorized parties from gaining access to the secret in clear form.