SMTP credentials - Secret detected in code

Rule Details

Cortex AppSec Rule ID	APPSEC_SECRET_183
Category	Database Credentials
Severity	MEDIUM
Framework	Git

Impact

The SMTP credentials Secret (User ID/Token) is a component of the authentication pair.

Combined with the password, it allows an attacker to authenticate independently and utilize the organization's email infrastructure for malicious activities.

How to Fix

To remediate exposed Database credentials:

1. Log in to your database administration tool or console.
2. Identify the database user associated with the exposed connection string.
3. Rotate the password for that specific database user immediately.
4. Update the connection strings in your application configuration or secrets manager.
5. Restart your application instances if necessary to apply the new connection string.

Next, remove the secret from your codebase:

1. Locate the exposed connection string 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.