Potential Secret or Private Token Exposed
A value that looks like a credential is assigned to a variable named as a secret, token, or password in code the browser can read.
Why it matters
A value that looks like a credential is assigned to a variable named as a secret, token, or password in code the browser can read. We cannot identify the provider, so confirm what it belongs to — but anything genuinely secret in client-side JavaScript is public by definition and should be rotated and moved server-side.
How ShipReady detects it
Detects credentials that reached the browser. Scans the page HTML and every linked JavaScript bundle for the literal shapes real provider keys take — `sk_live_`, `AKIA`, `ghp_`, a JWT with a service_role claim — rather than guessing from entropy. High-entropy string detection finds build hashes, CSS class names and base64 images on almost every site; provider prefixes are unambiguous, which is why this check reports only what it can name. A match is evidence, not inference: the value was served to anyone who loaded the page. Evidence records the variable NAME and a ten-character prefix, never the key, because a report that quoted the secret would republish it. Bundles are fetched once per scan and shared across pages, so a key present in a chunk loaded on ten routes is reported once.
Detection is deterministic. ShipReady reports this only when it observes the condition directly, and prefers to miss a real problem over inventing one. Rule version 1.4.0.
How to fix it
This is the prompt ShipReady puts in your report — written to be pasted straight into Cursor, Claude Code, or whichever assistant built the app.
A variable named with 'secret', 'token', or 'private' was found containing a high-entropy string. Verify this is not a sensitive credential.
Frequently asked questions
- What does "Potential Secret or Private Token Exposed" mean?
- A value that looks like a credential is assigned to a variable named as a secret, token, or password in code the browser can read.
- How serious is it?
- ShipReady rates this high. Fix before launch. A real weakness that an attacker can act on.
- How do I fix it?
- Paste the fix prompt on this page into Cursor, Claude Code or your AI editor. It is the same prompt ShipReady puts in your report.
- Can I check my own site?
- Yes — ShipReady scans up to ten pages of any public site for free and reports this alongside every other check.
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