Vulnerability · high
Claude Code settings and secrets exposed in public GitHub repositories
Tier A · Patch today – Before you go home
Who’s exposed: Developers whose Claude Code settings files are committed to public GitHub repositories
Tier A because: Core infrastructure or popular tool AND secrets exposed
Reach
Attack
Damage
Fix
Popular tool · Secrets exposed
What to do
- Check public repositories for committed Claude Code settings files and remove any credentials they contain.
- Rotate any secrets or database passwords that may have been exposed.
The Brief
- Apiiro researchers found that Claude Code leaks sensitive data to public GitHub repositories because of a partial oversight in how its settings files are handled.
- They found thousands of secrets, including database passwords.
- Dark Reading reports that a Claude Code command inadvertently saves files containing credentials to public Git repositories.
Why it matters
Developers who use Claude Code may have credentials committed to public GitHub repositories without realising it, which can expose databases and services to attackers.
The checklist behind the tier
Checklist · 3 of 10 yes
| Yes | Hits tech teams | Judgment: Claude Code is a developer tool used by engineering teams. |
| No | Core infrastructure | Judgment: a single vendor's AI coding tool, not foundational software like OpenSSH or GitHub. |
| Yes | Popular tool | Judgment: Claude Code is a widely used mainstream developer tool. |
| No | Exploited in the wild | Darkreading: a command inadvertently saves credentials to public repos; no attacks reported. |
| No | Public exploit | Ars Technica: Apiiro researchers found exposed secrets; no exploit code or PoC mentioned. |
| No | Remote, no login | Ars Technica: accidental leakage via settings files; no unauthenticated remote attack described. |
| No | Full takeover | Ars Technica: secrets such as database passwords and API keys exposed; no code execution or takeover described. |
| Yes | Secrets exposed | Ars Technica: Apiiro discovered thousands of secrets, including database passwords and API keys, exposed on GitHub. |
| No | Supply chain | Darkreading: a command in Claude Code saves sensitive files to repos; no compromised package or pipeline. |
| No | No fix yet | Neither source states whether a fix has been shipped or is unavailable. |
Timeline
The Hacker News
Claude Code's “Don't Ask Again” File Exposes Passwords and Keys in 1,122 Public Copies on GitHub
Hacker News: Front Page
Claude Code's "Don't Ask Again" exposes passwords in 1,122 public GitHub files
DEV Community: ai
Claude Code's "Don't Ask Again" Leaked Developers' Secrets to Public GitHub — Explained Honestly
DEV Community: ai
Claude Code's "Don't Ask Again" exposes passwords in 1,122 public GitHub files
Apiiro findings on Claude Code secret exposure reported by Ars Technica
AI - Ars Technica
Claude Code is accidentally exposing secrets all over GitHub
darkreading
AI Coding Agents Leak Thousands of Secrets to GitHub
Hacker News
5 points · 1 comments
DEV Community: ai
$1.5T Valuation, Zero .gitignore: How Claude Code Leaked 2,539 Live Secrets to GitHub
Full coverage · 7 sources
- 56 min ago ↗
DEV Community: ai
$1.5T Valuation, Zero .gitignore: How Claude Code Leaked 2,539 Live Secrets to GitHub - 4d ago ↗
- 5d ago ↗
AI - Ars Technica
Claude Code is accidentally exposing secrets all over GitHub - 6d ago ↗
- 6d ago ↗
DEV Community: ai
Claude Code's "Don't Ask Again" Leaked Developers' Secrets to Public GitHub — Explained Honestly - 7d ago ↗
Hacker News: Front Page
Claude Code's "Don't Ask Again" exposes passwords in 1,122 public GitHub files - 7d ago ↗
The Hacker News
Claude Code's “Don't Ask Again” File Exposes Passwords and Keys in 1,122 Public Copies on GitHub
What developers are saying
Based on 1 comments
First seen · 7 sources · 1 comments · Full story page · How tiers are decided