secrets-detection-patterns

name	secrets-detection-patterns
description	Detect hardcoded secrets in source code using pattern-based scanning for API keys, tokens, passwords, private keys, and connection strings. Use before committing, during code review, or for post-incident history scanning. Self-contained — no external tools required.
metadata	{"category":"secure_development","subcategory":"secrets-detection"}

Secrets Detection Patterns

Overview

Pattern-based secrets detection for source code. This skill provides regex patterns, false positive filtering criteria, and remediation guidance for detecting hardcoded secrets. It is self-contained — no external tools (trufflehog, gitleaks) are required, though they are recommended as complementary tooling.

Zero Tolerance Policy

Any confirmed secret in code results in a BLOCKED verdict. There is no passing threshold — secrets in code are a critical finding. A secret is either present or it is not.

Redaction Rule

Reports must NEVER include actual secret values. Report secret type, file path, and line number only. Pattern matches are redacted to show type and location: e.g., "AWS Access Key at src/config.js:42".

Scan Scope Options

• Staged — scan git staged files only (pre-commit gate)
• All — scan entire working directory
• History — scan git commit history (post-incident review)

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Detection Patterns

Pattern 1: AWS Access Keys

Format: AKIA followed by 16 alphanumeric characters.

AKIA[0-9A-Z]{16}

Pattern 2: AWS Secret Access Keys

40-character base64-like strings after a known label.

(aws_secret_access_key|aws_secret_key)\s*[=:]\s*[A-Za-z0-9/+=]{40}

Pattern 3: GitHub Personal Access Tokens

Prefixes: ghp_, gho_, ghu_, ghs_, ghr_.

(ghp_|gho_|ghu_|ghs_|ghr_)[A-Za-z0-9_]{36}

Pattern 4: Private Key Material

RSA, EC, DSA, and OpenSSH private key headers.

-----BEGIN (RSA |EC |DSA |OPENSSH |PRIVATE )PRIVATE KEY-----

Pattern 5: Generic Passwords (Labeled)

High-confidence labeled password assignments with values >= 8 characters.

(password|passwd|pwd|secret|api_key|apikey|api_secret|client_secret|auth_token|access_token)\s*[=:]\s*['"][^'"]{8,}['"]

Pattern 6: Database Connection Strings

Connection strings with embedded credentials.

(mysql|postgresql|postgres|mongodb|redis|amqp|jdbc)://[^@\s]+:[^@\s]+@

Pattern 7: JWT Tokens

Three-part base64url segments separated by dots, starting with eyJ.

eyJ[A-Za-z0-9_-]{10,}\.[A-Za-z0-9_-]{10,}\.[A-Za-z0-9_-]{10,}

Pattern 8: Slack Tokens

Prefix: xox[bpaso]-.

xox[bpaso]-[A-Za-z0-9-]{10,}

Pattern 9: Google API Keys

Prefix: AIza.

AIza[0-9A-Za-z_-]{35}

Pattern 10: Stripe API Keys

Prefixes: sk_live_, pk_live_, rk_live_, sk_test_.

(sk_live_|pk_live_|rk_live_|sk_test_)[0-9a-zA-Z]{24,}

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False Positive Filtering

Classify a match as FALSE POSITIVE if:

• The match is in a test fixture file (path contains: test/, tests/, spec/, fixtures/, __tests__/, testdata/)
• The match is in a documentation file (.md, .rst, .txt, .adoc) showing an example format
• The match is in a comment explaining what a secret looks like (e.g., # example: AKIA...)
• The match is an obvious placeholder (e.g., AKIAIOSFODNN7… — AWS's documented sample key — your-secret-here, <YOUR_API_KEY>, xxx...xxx)
• The match is in a .env.example, .env.sample, or .env.template file
• The match is in a README or CONTRIBUTING file describing configuration
• The value is clearly a test/dummy value (e.g., password: 'test' in test files)
• The match is in a mock or stub (file path contains mock, stub, fake)

Classify a match as CONFIRMED if:

• The match appears in a source code file that would be executed
• The match appears in a configuration file that is NOT an example/template
• The match appears in a script file or Dockerfile
• The value appears to be a real credential format (not a placeholder)
• The match appears in a git diff as an added line (staged scope)

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Remediation Guidance

When secrets are detected:

1. Remove the secret and rotate the credential (strongly recommended)
2. Add the file to .gitignore if it must not be committed
3. Use environment variables or a secrets manager instead of hardcoded values
4. If this is a test fixture or example, rename the file to include example or fixture and use obviously fake values

If secrets have been committed to git history, consider:

• Rotating the credential immediately (the secret is compromised regardless of git cleanup)
• Using git filter-branch or BFG Repo-Cleaner to remove from history
• Scanning with trufflehog or gitleaks for comprehensive history review

Complementary Tooling

For production use, consider also deploying:

• trufflehog — entropy-based scanning for unstructured secrets
• gitleaks — pre-commit hook integration with configurable rules
• A secrets manager (HashiCorp Vault, AWS Secrets Manager, etc.) to eliminate secrets from code entirely

Note: The patterns in this skill use regex-based detection only. Entropy-based detection (for unstructured high-entropy strings) requires external tooling.