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Global Accelerated Learning • Est. 1999
Glossary Term Hardcoded Secrets

Training Camp • Cybersecurity Glossary

What is Hardcoded Secrets?

Hardcoded secrets are credentials like API keys or passwords embedded in code, a high-risk vulnerability easily found through repository scanning.

Glossary > Application & API Security > Hardcoded Secrets

Understanding Hardcoded Secrets

Hardcoded secrets are credentials such as API keys, passwords, tokens, or private keys embedded directly in source code, configuration files, or container images rather than stored in a secure secrets manager. They are a common and high-impact vulnerability because they are easily discovered through code review, repository scanning, or leaked version history, and they often grant broad, long-lived access. Remediation involves removing them, rotating the exposed credentials, and adopting runtime secret injection and automated secret scanning.

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