In the key management lifecycle, which activity focuses on removing access to a key when it is no longer needed or compromised?

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Revocation is the act of invalidating a key so it can no longer be used for authentication, encryption, or decryption. This is exactly what you do when a key is no longer needed or has been compromised: you remove its trust from the system, preventing any further access or operations with that key. In practice, this might involve marking the key as revoked in a certificate authority, updating revocation lists, or responding to OCSP checks so systems stop accepting it.

Creation is about generating new keys, not removing access. Storage focuses on how keys are kept secure, not on denying their use. Destruction permanently eliminates the key material so it cannot be recovered or used again; that’s the final step after a key has been revoked or retired, ensuring there’s no possibility of future use. So when the goal is to stop access while the key might still be part of ongoing processes or records, revocation is the appropriate action.