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Security Engineering

Stopping Leaks Before They Happen: Client-Side Secret Scanning

E
EnvShareApp TeamDec 28, 20254 min read

We've all done it. You're trying to send a database password to a colleague, but your clipboard history fails you, and you accidentally paste your **Stripe Live Secret Key** instead.

Historically, tools like EnvShareApp would dutifully encrypt that key and send it. Technically, it's "secure"—only the recipient can read it. But operationally, it's a disaster. That key is now "in the wild," even if just for a moment.

That's why we built **Client-Side Secret Scanning**.


The Pre-Encryption Defense

Most secret scanners (like GitHub's) work on the server or after a commit. We moved the detection layer **into the browser**.

How it works

When you type or paste into EnvShareApp, we run a lightweight set of Regex patterns against your text. This happens entirely on your device. The patterns detect common formats for:

  • AWS Access Keys (`AKIA...`)
  • Stripe Secret Keys (`sk_live_...`)
  • Slack Bot Tokens (`xoxb-...`)
  • Google Cloud Keys

The "Did You Mean To Share This?" Modal

If we detect a match, encryption is **halted**. A warning modal appears immediately.

High-Entropy Secret Detected

It looks like you are trying to share a Stripe Live Key. Usually, these should be rotated, not shared.

You can always bypass this warning (sometimes you *do* need to share a key urgently). But this friction point prevents 99% of accidental leaks.

Protecting 30+ Key Types

Our pattern library is growing. We currently support:

  • ✅ AWS Keys
  • ✅ Stripe Keys
  • ✅ Slack Tokens
  • ✅ GitHub Tokens
  • ✅ Google Cloud Keys
  • ✅ OpenAI Keys
  • ✅ Private Keys (RSA/DSA)
  • ✅ Facebook Access Tokens

Try it yourself

Paste a fake AWS key (like AKIAXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX) into the box to see the warning.

Test Secret Scanning