Implement Secure
Secret Management
Hardcoded secrets are the #1 cause of credential leaks. Implement proper secret management to protect API keys, database passwords, and certificates.
The Danger of Hardcoded Secrets
Leaked credentials are the fastest path to a data breach
GitHub alone detects over 10,000 leaked secrets committed to repositories every single day
Hardcoded secrets in code or config files are the leading cause of credential theft
Automated bots scan for and exploit leaked credentials within minutes of exposure
Secret Management Solutions
Choose the right tool for your infrastructure
HashiCorp Vault
Best for: Self-hosted, multi-cloud
- Dynamic secrets
- Secret rotation
- Encryption as a service
- Audit logging
Cost: Free (OSS) / Enterprise
AWS Secrets Manager
Best for: AWS-native workloads
- Automatic rotation
- RDS integration
- Lambda integration
- Cross-account access
Cost: $0.40/secret/month
Azure Key Vault
Best for: Azure-native workloads
- HSM-backed keys
- Certificate management
- Managed identities
- RBAC integration
Cost: $0.03/10k operations
Implementation Steps
Audit Current Secrets
Find all hardcoded secrets in your codebase and infrastructure
- Scan Git history for leaked secrets (use tools like truffleHog, gitleaks)
- Search code for patterns: API keys, passwords, tokens
- Document all secrets: databases, APIs, certificates, encryption keys
Choose & Deploy Secret Manager
Set up your chosen secret management solution
- Deploy Vault cluster or provision cloud secret manager
- Configure authentication (IAM roles, service principals, etc.)
- Set up secret rotation policies
- Enable audit logging
Migrate Secrets
Move secrets from code to secret manager
- Upload secrets to secret manager with proper naming conventions
- Update applications to fetch secrets at runtime
- Test thoroughly in staging environment
- Remove hardcoded secrets from code (rotate them first!)
Enforce Policy
Prevent new secrets from being hardcoded
- Add pre-commit hooks to block secrets in commits
- Enable secret scanning in CI/CD pipelines
- Train developers on secret management practices
- Regular audits: quarterly scans for leaked secrets
Best Practices
Use Short-Lived Secrets
Generate dynamic credentials that expire automatically. Reduces blast radius if compromised.
Rotate Secrets Regularly
Automate rotation every 30-90 days. Never use the same secret indefinitely.
Principle of Least Privilege
Grant applications access only to the secrets they need. No shared credentials.
Audit Secret Access
Log all secret retrievals. Alert on unusual access patterns.
Encrypt Secrets at Rest
Use encryption keys separate from the secrets themselves (envelope encryption).
Never Log Secrets
Ensure secrets never appear in application logs, error messages, or debug output.
Need Help with Secret Management?
Our security experts can audit your current secret management practices and implement a secure solution.