Stop Exposed Secrets from Breaching Your Code Today: 4 Urgent Steps to Protect Your Organization

This content originally appeared on HackerNoon and was authored by Zen Chan

Exposed secrets in code represent a growing threat, with 23 million hardcoded secrets found on GitHub in 2024 alone. To effectively address this risk: Classify secrets by sensitivity to prioritize critical issues like admin credentials over low-risk test keys Assess scope and impact by determining if the secret is public and what systems it affects Identify root causes such as sloppy commits or inadequate reviews to prevent recurrence Enrich with metadata about ownership and access levels to better understand risks Use open-source tools like TruffleHog, git-secrets, SOPS, and HashiCorp Vault to automate detection, management, and remediation. Implement regular rotation schedules, just-in-time access policies, and continuous monitoring to maintain secure code.

This content originally appeared on HackerNoon and was authored by Zen Chan