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GuidesSecret Scanning

Secret Scanning

Scan your Git repositories for accidentally committed secrets, API keys, and credentials across the full commit history.


Connecting a Repository

  1. Go to Settings > Integrations > Connect GitHub.
  2. Authenticate via OAuth (read-only access to repository contents and commit history).
  3. Select the repository to link and click Connect.

Once connected, trigger scans manually or enable automatic scanning on new pushes via Settings > Integrations > Auto-scan on push.


Running a Scan

Open the Secret Scanning tab and click Run Scan. The scanner analyzes the full commit history and populates the detections table.


Detection Results

ColumnDescription
PatternType of secret matched (e.g., “AWS Access Key”, “GitHub Token”).
SeverityCritical, High, Medium, or Low.
Commit HashShort SHA — click to view the commit on GitHub.
File PathFile containing the detection.
Line NumberSpecific line of the match.
StatusOPEN, RESOLVED, or FALSE_POSITIVE.

Severity Levels

SeverityExamples
CriticalCloud root credentials, database connection strings, private signing keys.
HighAPI tokens, OAuth client secrets, JWT signing keys.
MediumGeneric API keys, webhook secrets, SMTP passwords.
LowInternal service tokens, non-production test keys.

Managing Detections

Click a detection to update its status (OPEN → RESOLVED or FALSE_POSITIVE) and add a resolution note. Use Batch Update to change multiple detections at once.


Notifications

When secrets are detected, the project owner receives:

  • In-app notification with a summary badge.
  • Email with detection count, severities, and a link to results.

Remediation Guidance

Each detection includes actionable steps in its detail panel:

  1. Rotate the secret in the provider’s dashboard.
  2. Remove from history with git filter-repo or BFG Repo-Cleaner.
  3. Store securely in the DepVault vault.
  4. Add to .gitignore if the file shouldn’t be committed.

Custom Scan Patterns

Create project-specific regex patterns under Secret Scanning > Custom Patterns. Each pattern needs a name, regex, severity, and optional description. Custom patterns run alongside built-in patterns in all subsequent scans.


Scan History

The History section shows a timeline of all scans with trigger type, detection count, files scanned, and duration. Click any entry to view its detections.