Generic Terraform Variable Secret detected in code

Rule Details

Cortex AppSec Rule ID	APPSEC_SECRET_181
Category	Environment Variables
Severity	MEDIUM
Framework	Git

Impact

A Generic Terraform Variable Secret contains sensitive data (e.g., credentials, keys, PII) used to provision and configure cloud infrastructure.

Exposure of this variable secret directly leaks the sensitive credential, granting an attacker unauthorized access to the provisioned cloud resources or the ability to modify the infrastructure state via code.

How to Fix

To remediate exposed Cloud & Infrastructure credentials:

1. Log in to your cloud provider's console.
2. Locate the identity or service account associated with the compromised credentials.
3. Revoke or deactivate the compromised keys immediately.
4. Generate a new set of credentials.
5. Update your environment variables, secrets manager, or pipelines with the new values.

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: Revoking infrastructure keys may cause immediate downtime. Ensure you have identified all dependent services before revoking.