After successful authentication, it is a security best practice to erase credentials from memory to prevent them from being exposed to potential memory dump attacks.
`ProviderManager` in Spring Security supports this practice through the `eraseCredentials` method, which should be invoked after the authentication process is complete.
* *Immediate Erasure*: Credentials should be erased immediately after they are no longer needed, which minimizes the window during which the credentials are exposed in memory.
* *Automatic Erasure*: Configure `ProviderManager` to automatically erase credentials post-authentication by setting `eraseCredentialsAfterAuthentication` to `true` (the default).
* *Custom Erasure Strategies*: Implement custom erasure strategies in custom `AuthenticationManager` implementations if the default erasure behavior does not meet specific security requirements.
By implementing these practices, organizations can significantly enhance the security of their authentication systems by ensuring that credentials are not left exposed in system memory.