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?
SSH private keys are used for authentication and secure communication in SSH (Secure Shell) protocols. They are a form of asymmetric cryptography,
where a pair of keys is generated: a private key and a corresponding public key. SSH keys provide a secure and efficient way to authenticate and
establish secure connections between clients and servers. They are widely used for remote login, file transfer, and secure remote administration.
When an SSH private key is leaked to an unintended audience, it can have severe consequences for security and confidentiality. One of the primary
outcomes is unauthorized access. The unintended audience can exploit the leaked private key to authenticate themselves as the legitimate owner,
gaining unauthorized entry to systems, servers, or accounts that accept the key for authentication. This unauthorized access opens the door for
various malicious activities, including data breaches, unauthorized modifications, and misuse of sensitive information.
