Provided is a method for securely exchanging information during application startup. A processor may send a request for a passphrase to one or more remote devices using a first out-of-band message. The processor may receive, from at least one of the remote devices, a response that includes the passphrase. The response may be a second out-of-band message. The processor may decrypt application startup data that is stored in a first configuration file for the application using the received passphrase. The application startup data may be necessary for the application to execute. The processor may then execute the application using the decrypted application startup data.