Private Key detected in code

Rule Details

Cortex AppSec Rule ID	APPSEC_SECRET_13
Category	Encryption Keys
Severity	MEDIUM
Framework	Git

Impact

A Private Key (e.g., RSA, EC, SSH) is a foundational cryptographic material used to decrypt data, sign transactions, or establish secure connections.

Exposure is a Catastrophic Risk that leads to unauthorized decryption of sensitive information, impersonation of the key owner, and compromise of secure communications.

How to Fix

To remediate a generic or high-entropy secret:

1. Identify the service or resource protected by this secret (investigate variable names or surrounding code for context).
2. Log in to the identified service and rotate the credentials.
3. If the service cannot be identified, treat the secret as critical: check if it matches internal passwords or keys and rotate them as a precaution.
4. Update your application configuration with the new value.

Next, remove the secret from your codebase:

1. Locate the exposed string in your codebase.
2. Remove it or replace it with a secure variable or reference.

Finally, clean your version control history:

1. Permanently remove the sensitive data from your version control history to ensure it cannot be retrieved.