While phishing and ransomware dominate headlines, another critical risk quietly persists across most enterprises: exposed Git repositories leaking sensitive data. A risk that silently creates shadow access into core systems
Git is the backbone of modern software development, hosting millions of repositories and serving thousands of organizations worldwide. Yet, amid the daily hustle of shipping code, developers may inadvertently leave behind API keys, tokens, or passwords in configuration files and code files, effectively handing attackers the keys to the kingdom.
This isn’t just about poor hygiene; it’s a systemic and growing supply chain risk. As cyber threats become more sophisticated, so do compliance requirements. Security frameworks like NIS2, SOC2, and ISO 27001 now demand proof that software delivery pipelines are hardened and third-party risk is controlled. The message is clear: securing your Git repositories is no longer optional, it’s essential.
Below, we look at the risk profile of exposed credentials and secrets in public and private code repositories, how this attack vector has been used in the past, and what you can do to minimize your exposure.
The Git Repo Threat Landscape
The threat landscape surrounding Git repositories is expanding rapidly, driven by a number of causes:
- Growing complexity of DevOps practices
- Widespread reliance on public version control platforms like GitHub
- Human error and all the misconfigurations that entail: from poorly applied access controls to forgotten test environments pushed to production
It’s no surprise that as development velocity increases, so does the opportunity for attackers to weaponize exposed code repositories. GitHub alone reported over 39 million leaked secrets in 2024—a 67% increase from the year before. These included cloud credentials, API tokens, and SSH keys. Most of these exposures originate from:
- Personal developer accounts
- Abandoned or forked projects
- Misconfigured or unaudited repositories
For attackers, these aren’t just mistakes, they’re entry points. Exposed Git repos offer a direct, low-friction pathway into internal systems and developer environments. What starts as a small oversight can escalate into a full-blown compromise, often without triggering any alerts.
How Do Attackers Leverage Exposed Git Repositories?
Public tools and scanners make it trivial to harvest secrets from exposed Git repositories, and attackers know how to pivot quickly from exposed code to compromised infrastructure.
Once inside a repository, attackers look for:
- Secrets and credentials: API keys, authentication tokens, and passwords. Often hidden in plain sight within config files or commit history.
- Infrastructure intel: Details about Internal systems such as hostnames, IPs, ports, or architectural diagrams.
- Business logic: Source code that can reveal vulnerabilities in authentication, session handling, or API access.
These insights are then weaponized for:
- Initial access: Attackers use valid credentials to authenticate into:
- Cloud environments — e.g., AWS IAM roles via exposed access keys, Azure Service Principals
- Databases — e.g., MongoDB, PostgreSQL, MySQL using hardcoded connection strings
- SaaS platforms — leveraging API tokens found in config files or commit history
- Lateral movement: Once inside, attackers pivot further by:
- Enumerating internal APIs using exposed OpenAPI/Swagger specs
- Accessing CI/CD pipelines using leaked tokens from GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, or Jenkins
- Using misconfigured permissions to move across internal services or cloud accounts
- Persistence and exfiltration: To maintain access and extract data over time, they:
- Create new IAM users or SSH keys to stay embedded
- Deploy malicious Lambda functions or containers to blend in with normal workloads
- Exfiltrate data from S3 buckets, Azure Blob Storage, or logging platforms like CloudWatch and Log Analytics
A single leaked AWS key can expose an entire cloud footprint. A forgotten .git/config file or stale commit may still contain live credentials.
These exposures often bypass traditional perimeter defenses entirely. We’ve seen attackers pivot from exposed Git repositories → to developer laptops → to internal networks. This threat isn’t theoretical, it’s a kill chain we’ve validated in live production environments using Pentera.
Recommended Mitigation Strategies
Reducing exposure risk starts with the basics. While no single control can eliminate Git-based attacks, the following practices help reduce the likelihood of secrets leaking – and limit the impact when they do.
1. Secrets Management
- Store secrets outside your codebase using dedicated secret management solutions like HashiCorp Vault (open source), AWS Secrets Manager, or Azure Key Vault. These tools provide secure storage, fine-grained access control, and audit logging.
- Avoid hardcoding secrets in source files or configuration files. Instead, inject secrets at runtime via environment variables or secure APIs.
- Automate secret rotation to reduce the window of exposure.
2. Code Hygiene
- Enforce strict .gitignore policies to exclude files that may contain sensitive information, such as .env, config.yaml, or credentials.json.
- Integrate scanning tools like Gitleaks, Talisman, and git-secrets into developer workflows and CI/CD pipelines to catch secrets before they’re committed.
3. Access Controls
- Enforce the principle of least privilege across all Git repositories. Developers, CI/CD tools, and third-party integrations should only have the access they need – no more.
- Use short-lived tokens or time-bound credentials wherever possible.
- Enforce multi-factor authentication (MFA) and single sign-on (SSO) on Git platforms.
- Regularly audit user and machine access logs to identify excessive privileges or suspicious behavior.
Find Exposed Git Data Before Attackers Do
Exposed Git repositories are not an edge-case risk, but a mainstream attack vector especially in fast-moving DevOps environments. While secret scanners and hygiene practices are essential, they often fall short of providing the full picture. Attackers aren’t just reading your code; they’re using it as a map to walk right into your infrastructure.
Yet, even teams using best practices are left blind to one critical question: could an attacker actually use this exposure to break in? Securing your repositories requires more than just static checks. It calls for continuous validation, proactive remediation, and an adversary’s mindset. As compliance mandates tighten and attack surfaces expand, organizations must treat code exposure as a core part of their security strategy and not as an afterthought.
To learn more about how your team can do this, join the webinar They’re Out to Git You on July 23rd, 2025
