![hacker and gitleaks output.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/brianoflondon/23uEuzDov4SNw6sw7w4EMeuzFQaHPkdyrdoe8wLwXyAY9iknEEU6Qgvn68m1yekkvH4Da.jpg)

**[Vote for Brianoflondon's Witness KeyChain or HiveSigner](https://vote.hive.uno/@brianoflondon) [Support Proposal 342 on PeakD](https://peakd.com/me/proposals/342)** ***This is a value for value post: see the explanation in the footer.*** ## Warning: technical blog post follows for coders I just did something I should have done years ago. I installed a `pre-commit` scanner in my workflow to check before I upload anything to github that I haven't divulged any secrets. ### The mistake I haven't made this mistake yet, but that's the point about fixing security stuff: far better to do it before you make the mistake. Let's say I have a file like this with some keys in it. They're just random keys, generated with my own [v4v.app signup for Hive](https://v4v.app/signup) link but lets assume they're the keys to my server's Hive account. ``` Hive Username: koiuoiulkj Owner Key: 5JB6MK6CHipcYCmZtFbBVV19qbAXaFMZXYcRLEHKa5Hndj2AYkG Active Key: 5JFFgEhSRoso1pEFRFDtzrN3rjhLqPJuYgejiGfD9FroMLZNRv9 Posting Key: 5JRpckhZgBSN2SxZJzBQAAdMgffoWXrwF6BTtqpz7mw7NZrkCP5 Memo Key: 5KMNg6mvMGBNZxUWQVwczD2x6TXJnHCQ3PvqE5hQuWqmB5rm5ts Backup (Master) Password: bsKCHNClqvDpTb1QMd17LaQi79xygJjR ``` It's easy as you like to put those in a file and accidentally add it to github. At least here on Hive, if you notice such a catastrophic error, you can change your keys but it's a big hassle. ### Pre-commit hooks The solution which I should have put in place years ago is to use something called a "pre-commit hook" to scan anything I try to send to Github before I upload it and make it public. With the help of Grok I decided to use Gitleaks, this is what Grok has to say about it. #### Gitleaks **Reputation**: Highly regarded in the security and DevOps communities for its speed, ease of use, and Git-focused approach. **Strengths**: - Specifically designed for scanning Git repositories, making it excellent for catching secrets in commit history and pre-commit hooks. - Fast and lightweight, with a simple setup. - Broad rule set covering common secret patterns (e.g., AWS keys, JWTs, private keys). - Active community and frequent updates (e.g., latest release in 2025). - Integrates seamlessly with CI/CD pipelines and pre-commit frameworks. **Community & Adoption**: Widely used by security professionals and developers, with over 16k GitHub stars (as of last data). Popular in enterprise and open-source projects for its reliability. **Criticism**: Can produce false positives without fine-tuning, and its focus on Git means it’s less flexible for non-Git use cases. I followed the steps on the [Gitleaks github page](https://github.com/gitleaks/gitleaks?tab=readme-ov-file) to install and voila it's working. ### What happens? So when I try to post that file to Github now, this is what I get: ![gitleaks secrets.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/brianoflondon/23t72TJGL961jPDuibi2tud2kteABA5VrVfZXjm5vRc2ndvN1Vn1CiVhq6ri8nsnN7tjf.png) I deliberately tested with Hive keys and without doing any further setup. Honestly I feel really dumb for working this long without setting this up. ------- ## Value for Value For the last few months while building @v4vapp I was generously supported by the DHF. Going forward I have a much more modest support which covers direct server costs and a little of my time. If you appreciate the work I do on and around Hive, you can express this directly: upvoting posts on Hive is great. Also consider a direct donation (there's a Tip button on Hive or a Lightning Address) on all my posts.

![hivebuzz-orca-120.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/brianoflondon/AJmtP4HQY8c2Ej3D2k6ZxhKZqUh6R2hDWcVDkpVacwCbt5c9R9R2LowiycVhAM7.png)

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**[Support Proposal 342 on PeakD](https://peakd.com/me/proposals/342) [Support Proposal 342 with Hivesigner](https://hivesigner.com/sign/update-proposal-votes?proposal_ids=%5B342%5D&approve=true) [Support Proposal 342 on Ecency](https://ecency.com/proposals/342) [Vote for Brianoflondon's Witness KeyChain or HiveSigner](https://vote.hive.uno/@brianoflondon)** -------

![Send Lightning to Me!](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/brianoflondon/AK3gcbmQA5oP28nnfgu5MiW8JCXw1XA6tYghwFWbSkPW2P6hXto5i7TDRTkPRVa.png)

- [Find me on Telegram](https://t.me/brianoflondon) - [V4VAPP Support on Telegram](https://t.me/v4vapp_support) - [Vote for Brianoflondon's Witness KeyChain or HiveSigner](https://vote.hive.uno/@brianoflondon) - [Vote for Brianoflondon's Witness direct with HiveSigner](https://hivesigner.com/sign/account-witness-vote?witness=brianoflondon&approve=1) - [Find my videos on 3speak](https://3speak.tv/user/brianoflondon)

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