ASPNet Decryption Key detected in code

Rule Details

Cortex AppSec Rule ID	APPSEC_SECRET_277
Category	Secrets
Severity	MEDIUM
Framework	Git

Impact

The ASPNet Decryption Key is a confidential cryptographic key used for decrypting sensitive application data (ViewState, PII).

Compromise of this key is a Critical Risk that allows an attacker to decrypt sensitive information that the application intended to protect, exposing PII and proprietary data.

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.