Putty Private Key detected in code

Rule Details

Cortex AppSec Rule ID	APPSEC_SECRET_173
Category	SSH Keys
Severity	HIGH
Framework	Git

Impact

The Putty Private Key is a cryptographic key used to securely authenticate with remote servers (SSH/Telnet).

An attacker who obtains this key can impersonate the key owner and gain unauthorized access to remote servers and decrypt confidential communications.

How to Fix

To remediate exposed Auth tokens or Signing Keys:

1. Log in to your Identity Provider or OAuth provider settings.
2. Rotate the compromised Client Secret, Private Key, or Signing Certificate.
3. Update your application configuration with the new credentials.
4. Redeploy your application to ensure the new keys are in effect.

Next, remove the secret from your codebase:

1. Locate the exposed secret in your codebase.
2. Replace the hardcoded value 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.

Warning: Rotating signing keys or client secrets will likely invalidate active user sessions or tokens. Be prepared for users to be logged out.