Risk
Exposed AI Access Credentials in Discovered Assets
Description
During the discovery of assets (code, configurations, documentation), sensitive AI credentials (API keys, tokens, passwords) are found to be insecurely stored or embedded.
Example
An old Jupyter notebook discovered on a shared drive contains hardcoded API keys to a cloud AI service.
Assets Affected
AI access credentials
Notebook
Coding agent (config)
Model metadata
Mitigation
- Implement secure credential management practices from the outset
- Use secrets management tools
- Scan discovered code and configurations for hardcoded secrets
- Enforce policies against insecure credential storage
- Resource documentation should not contain exposed secrets
Standards Mapping
- ISO 42001: A.4.5, A.6.2.4
- NIST AI RMF: MEASURE 2.7, GOVERN 4.2