Secrets Detection Tools 2026
Secrets detection tools find credentials that should never have been committed: API keys, database passwords, cloud tokens, private keys, and signing certificates hardcoded in source code, Git history, container images, and CI/CD configs. They exist because every developer eventually pastes a secret somewhere it should not live, and a single leaked key can hand an attacker your cloud account or production database. If you run application security or own the SDLC, this category covers the scanners that catch those leaks before they ship, and ideally before they ever reach a remote branch.
We cover 52 Secrets Detection tools, 29 free and 23 commercial.
Accuracy and depth improve over time. Last reviewed Sep 2026. Is something off? Reach out.
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New to this category? What is Secrets Detection?
Detects, prioritizes, and auto-revokes exposed secrets across the SDLC
Scans corporate infra for hardcoded credentials, tokens & sensitive data leaks.
Continuous secret scanning and leak detection tool with precommit checks
Credential verification service that validates leaked secrets for liveness
Scans public internet for leaked cloud service keys and verifies them
Analyzes leaked secrets to reveal ownership, access scope, and permissions
Enterprise secrets scanning tool for SDLC with continuous monitoring & remediation
AI-powered secret detection tool for real-time credential scanning in code
Detects API keys, passwords, and tokens in code with AI-based false positive filtering.
Detects exposed API keys, tokens, credentials & PII in code repositories
Scans Git repos for PII/PHI leaks in code, commits, and branches.
Container scanning tool for detecting secrets, misconfigurations, and code issues
Prevents secrets & sensitive data leaks in code at source
Scans source code repositories for exposed secrets and sensitive data
Non-human identity security platform for secrets detection and management
Detects hardcoded secrets in code using semantic analysis & validation
Scans and detects hardcoded secrets across SDLC and dev tools
Detects secrets and credentials in code using AI/ML and Code Property Graph
Detects, validates, and remediates secrets in code and pipelines
Scans code repositories and runtime environments for exposed secrets and credentials
Scans code for exposed API keys, credentials, and tokens in repos and CI/CD.
Detects hardcoded secrets in code repos, commits, and containers
Scans repositories for exposed secrets, API keys, and credentials for bug bounty
How to choose Secrets Detection tools
- Check where it scans: working tree only, full Git history, CI/CD pipelines, container images, and pre-commit hooks. Coverage gaps leave exploitable secrets behind.
- Prioritize low false-positive rates. Tools that combine entropy analysis and contextual rules with active validation against the live provider save your team from alert fatigue.
- Look for active credential verification. Knowing whether a found secret is still valid lets you triage real exposures ahead of dead keys.
- Confirm it shifts left. Pre-commit and pre-push detection stops secrets before they ever hit a remote branch, which is far cheaper than rotating a leaked production key.
- Evaluate remediation support: clear guidance on rotation, history rewriting, and integration with your ticketing and developer workflow, not just a list of findings.
- Match coverage to your stack. Some tools specialize in mobile binaries and APKs, others in cloud-native CI/CD, so make sure the detectors fit where your secrets actually leak.
Secrets Detection Tools FAQ
Common questions about Secrets Detection tools, selection guides, pricing, and comparisons.
Secrets detection is the practice of scanning code, repositories, commit history, and build pipelines for exposed credentials like API keys, tokens, passwords, and private keys. The goal is to catch a hardcoded secret before it reaches production or a public repo, where an attacker could use it to access your cloud accounts, databases, or third-party services. It is a foundational part of any AppSec program.
SAST analyzes code logic for vulnerabilities like injection flaws, and SCA tracks risky open source dependencies. Secrets detection does neither. It looks specifically for sensitive strings that should never be in code at all. The disciplines overlap in tooling and often ship in the same platform, but a high-quality SAST scanner can still miss a leaked AWS key, which is why dedicated secrets detection matters.
False positives are the make-or-break factor here. Look for tools that go beyond regex pattern matching and add entropy analysis, contextual rules, and active validation that pings the provider to confirm a key is live. Allowlisting test fixtures and placeholder values helps. The best tools also verify whether a found secret is still valid, so your team triages real exposures first instead of drowning in noise.
Open source scanners are excellent for individual repos and pre-commit hooks, and many teams run them effectively for years. Commercial platforms add organization-wide coverage, centralized dashboards, automated validation, remediation workflows, secret rotation guidance, and historical scanning across every repo at once. If you have many teams and need audit trails and policy enforcement, the commercial tier usually pays for itself.
It depends on the tool, and this distinction matters a lot. Scanning only the current working tree misses secrets that were committed then deleted, since they still live in Git history and remain exploitable. Strong tools scan full commit history, branches, and ideally the moment a developer tries to push. Confirm history scanning is included before you assume a repo is clean.
