In most cases, trust boundaries are violated when a secret is exposed in a source code repository or an uncontrolled deployment environment.
Unintended people who don’t need to know the secret might get access to it. They might then be able to use it to gain unwanted access to associated
services or resources.
The trust issue can be more or less severe depending on the people’s role and entitlement.
What is the potential impact?
Below are some real-world scenarios that illustrate some impacts of an attacker exploiting the secret.
Compromise of sensitive data
If the affected service is used to store or process personally identifiable information or other sensitive data, attackers knowing an
authentication secret could be able to access it. Depending on the type of data that is compromised, it could lead to privacy violations, identity
theft, financial loss, or other negative outcomes.
In most cases, a company suffering a sensitive data compromise will face a reputational loss when the security issue is publicly disclosed.
Disclosure of financial data
When an attacker gains access to an organization’s financial information, it can have severe consequences for the organization. One of the primary
concerns is the potential leakage of sensitive financial data. This information may include bank account details, credit card information, or
confidential financial reports. If this data falls into the wrong hands, it can be used for malicious purposes such as identity theft, unauthorized
access to financial accounts, or even blackmail.
The disclosure of financial information can also lead to a loss of confidence and damage the organization’s reputation with its stakeholders.
Customers, partners, and investors place trust in organizations to protect their financial data. In case of a breach, customers may be hesitant to
continue doing business with this company, leading to a loss of revenue and market share. Similarly, partners and investors may reconsider their
long-term collaborations or investments due to concerns about the organization’s overall security posture.
Malware distribution
Due to this vulnerability, malware can be stored and spread, both to users of the service and to other potential targets.
A malware depends on
the attacker’s intentions, as the following examples show:
- Cryptojacking malware, whose goal is to "mine" cryptocurrencies on the affected computers or servers.
- Spyware that spies out sensitive information from victims.
In the worst case, malware can cause the target systems to be completely compromised and allow attackers to infiltrate the systems.
