diff --git a/api/v2/types_firewallmonitor.go b/api/v2/types_firewallmonitor.go
index d9bddc6..689f7e1 100644
--- a/api/v2/types_firewallmonitor.go
+++ b/api/v2/types_firewallmonitor.go
@@ -10,6 +10,11 @@ import (
 const (
 	// FirewallShootNamespace is the name of the namespace to which the firewall monitor gets deployed and in which the firewall-controller operates
 	FirewallShootNamespace = "firewall"
+	// FirewallBootstrapTokenIDLabel references the the kubernetes bootstrap token ID for a firewall.
+	// It is defined on the firewall.
+	FirewallBootstrapTokenIDLabel = "firewall.metal-stack.io/bootstrap-token-id"
+	// FirewallBootstrapTokenNextRotationLabel reflects when the next rotation of the bootstrap token can be expected.
+	FirewallBootstrapTokenNextRotationLabel = "firewall.metal-stack.io/bootstrap-token-next-rotation"
 )
 
 // +kubebuilder:object:root=true
diff --git a/controllers/firewall/monitor.go b/controllers/firewall/monitor.go
index f7477cf..da2f39b 100644
--- a/controllers/firewall/monitor.go
+++ b/controllers/firewall/monitor.go
@@ -1,15 +1,29 @@
 package firewall
 
 import (
+	"crypto/rand"
 	"fmt"
+	"math/big"
+	"time"
 
 	v2 "github.com/metal-stack/firewall-controller-manager/api/v2"
 	"github.com/metal-stack/firewall-controller-manager/controllers"
 	corev1 "k8s.io/api/core/v1"
 	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
+	bootstraptokenapi "k8s.io/cluster-bootstrap/token/api"
+	bootstraptokenutil "k8s.io/cluster-bootstrap/token/util"
+	"sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/client"
 	"sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/controller/controllerutil"
 )
 
+const (
+	characterSetResourceNameFragment     = "abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz0123456789"
+	firewallBootstrapTokenExpiration     = 20 * time.Minute
+	firewallBootstrapTokenRotationPeriod = 15 * time.Minute
+	// Extra groups to authenticate the token as. Must start with "system:bootstrappers:"
+	firewallBootstrapTokenAuthExtraGroups = ""
+)
+
 func (c *controller) ensureFirewallMonitor(r *controllers.Ctx[*v2.Firewall]) (*v2.FirewallMonitor, error) {
 	var err error
 
@@ -67,3 +81,79 @@ func (c *controller) ensureFirewallMonitor(r *controllers.Ctx[*v2.Firewall]) (*v
 
 	return mon, nil
 }
+
+func (c *controller) rotateFirewallBootstrapTokenIfNeeded(r *controllers.Ctx[*v2.Firewall]) error {
+	var (
+		tokenID         = r.Target.Labels[v2.FirewallBootstrapTokenIDLabel]
+		nextRotationStr = r.Target.Labels[v2.FirewallBootstrapTokenNextRotationLabel]
+	)
+
+	if tokenID == "" || nextRotationStr == "" {
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	nextRotation, err := time.Parse(time.RFC3339, nextRotationStr)
+	if err == nil && (nextRotation.Equal(time.Now()) || nextRotation.Before(time.Now())) {
+		r.Log.Info("bootstrap token rotation not needed")
+		return nil
+	}
+	if err != nil {
+		r.Log.Info("invalid firewall bootstrap token interval, %s", err)
+	}
+
+	r.Log.Info("rotate bootstrap token for firewall deployment %q", client.ObjectKeyFromObject(r.Target))
+	tokenID, err = generateNewTokenID()
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	nextRotation = time.Now().Add(firewallBootstrapTokenRotationPeriod)
+	nextRotationStr = nextRotation.Format(time.RFC3339)
+
+	r.Target.Labels[v2.FirewallBootstrapTokenNextRotationLabel] = nextRotationStr
+	r.Target.Labels[v2.FirewallBootstrapTokenIDLabel] = tokenID
+
+	secretName := bootstraptokenutil.BootstrapTokenSecretName(tokenID)
+	bootstrapTokenSecret := &corev1.Secret{
+		ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+			Name:      secretName,
+			Namespace: metav1.NamespaceSystem,
+		},
+	}
+	tokenSecret, err := generateRandomStringFromCharset(16, characterSetResourceNameFragment)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	bootstrapTokenSecret.Data = map[string][]byte{
+		bootstraptokenapi.BootstrapTokenIDKey:               []byte(tokenID),
+		bootstraptokenapi.BootstrapTokenSecretKey:           []byte(tokenSecret),
+		bootstraptokenapi.BootstrapTokenExpirationKey:       []byte(metav1.Now().Add(firewallBootstrapTokenExpiration).Format(time.RFC3339)),
+		bootstraptokenapi.BootstrapTokenDescriptionKey:      []byte(fmt.Sprintf("Bootstrap token for firewall deployment %s/%s", r.Target.GetNamespace(), r.Target.GetName())),
+		bootstraptokenapi.BootstrapTokenUsageAuthentication: []byte("true"),
+		bootstraptokenapi.BootstrapTokenUsageSigningKey:     []byte("true"),
+		bootstraptokenapi.BootstrapTokenExtraGroupsKey:      []byte(firewallBootstrapTokenAuthExtraGroups),
+	}
+	err = c.c.GetSeedClient().Create(r.Ctx, bootstrapTokenSecret)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	return c.c.GetSeedClient().Update(r.Ctx, r.Target)
+}
+
+func generateNewTokenID() (string, error) {
+	return generateRandomStringFromCharset(6, characterSetResourceNameFragment)
+}
+
+func generateRandomStringFromCharset(n int, allowedCharacters string) (string, error) {
+	output := make([]byte, n)
+	maximum := new(big.Int).SetInt64(int64(len(allowedCharacters)))
+	for i := range output {
+		randomCharacter, err := rand.Int(rand.Reader, maximum)
+		if err != nil {
+			return "", err
+		}
+		output[i] = allowedCharacters[randomCharacter.Int64()]
+	}
+	return string(output), nil
+}
diff --git a/controllers/firewall/reconcile.go b/controllers/firewall/reconcile.go
index 89c07bc..794e2e2 100644
--- a/controllers/firewall/reconcile.go
+++ b/controllers/firewall/reconcile.go
@@ -29,6 +29,11 @@ func (c *controller) Reconcile(r *controllers.Ctx[*v2.Firewall]) error {
 			r.Log.Error(err, "unable to deploy firewall monitor")
 		}
 
+		err = c.rotateFirewallBootstrapTokenIfNeeded(r)
+		if err != nil {
+			r.Log.Error(err, "unable to rotate firewall bootstrap token")
+		}
+
 		SetFirewallStatusFromMonitor(r.Target, mon)
 	}()
 
diff --git a/go.mod b/go.mod
index bdfabd7..9bddced 100644
--- a/go.mod
+++ b/go.mod
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ require (
 	k8s.io/api v0.29.3
 	k8s.io/apimachinery v0.29.3
 	k8s.io/client-go v0.29.3
+	k8s.io/cluster-bootstrap v0.29.3
 	sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime v0.16.5
 )
 
diff --git a/go.sum b/go.sum
index 9dc1ded..e629117 100644
--- a/go.sum
+++ b/go.sum
@@ -551,6 +551,8 @@ k8s.io/apimachinery v0.29.3 h1:2tbx+5L7RNvqJjn7RIuIKu9XTsIZ9Z5wX2G22XAa5EU=
 k8s.io/apimachinery v0.29.3/go.mod h1:hx/S4V2PNW4OMg3WizRrHutyB5la0iCUbZym+W0EQIU=
 k8s.io/client-go v0.29.3 h1:R/zaZbEAxqComZ9FHeQwOh3Y1ZUs7FaHKZdQtIc2WZg=
 k8s.io/client-go v0.29.3/go.mod h1:tkDisCvgPfiRpxGnOORfkljmS+UrW+WtXAy2fTvXJB0=
+k8s.io/cluster-bootstrap v0.29.3 h1:DIMDZSN8gbFMy9CS2mAS2Iqq/fIUG783WN/1lqi5TF8=
+k8s.io/cluster-bootstrap v0.29.3/go.mod h1:aPAg1VtXx3uRrx5qU2jTzR7p1rf18zLXWS+pGhiqPto=
 k8s.io/component-base v0.29.0 h1:T7rjd5wvLnPBV1vC4zWd/iWRbV8Mdxs+nGaoaFzGw3s=
 k8s.io/component-base v0.29.0/go.mod h1:sADonFTQ9Zc9yFLghpDpmNXEdHyQmFIGbiuZbqAXQ1M=
 k8s.io/klog/v2 v2.110.1 h1:U/Af64HJf7FcwMcXyKm2RPM22WZzyR7OSpYj5tg3cL0=