Accounts, keys and money

Member lesson

The first ten minutes after a key leaks

Lesson 7 of 7 in Accounts, keys and money.

Checked against the makers' documentation on 25 September 2026.

Introduction to secret leaks and getting started with GitHub Secret Protection · GitHub
Lesson

Minutes zero to two, switch the key off where it was made. Google keys are disabled or deleted on the Credentials page of the Google Cloud console, OpenAI keys are revoked on the API keys page, Hugging Face tokens are deleted or refreshed under Access Tokens, Replicate tokens have a disable button on the API tokens page, and fal keys are deleted at fal.ai/dashboard/keys. Minutes two to five, make a new key and put it where the old one lived. Minutes five to ten, open each usage page and look for work you did not run. Write down anything odd.

0 minswitch thekey off2 minnew key, into.env5 minread everyusage page8 minsearch everycopy10 mintell whoshared itlater: rewrite git historycut it off first, then look around
The first ten minutes after a key leaks: switch it off, make a new key, read the usage pages, search every copy, tell whoever shared it; rewriting git history comes later if at all.
An ink drawing of a hand turning a yellow key in a green and red lock plate on a door, only the hand and the lock in frame.
The first move after a leak: lock the door, then look around.
Member

The rest of this is for members.

You have read the opening of this lesson. The rest of it comes with a membership.

One membership covers all four courses and Brands.

  • All lessons in the four Learn courses
  • All brand breakdowns in the Brands section
  • All quizzes, flashcards and crosswords
  • An AI teacher on every lesson, for up to 60 questions a day
  • All course material published during the membership

Price

Membership is from $12 a month on the Yearly plan, which is charged at $144 once a year. Lifetime access is $59, paid once.Membership is from ₹200 a month on the Yearly plan, which is charged at ₹2,400 + GST once a year. Lifetime access is ₹3,999 + GST, paid once.

Check what stuck

Members only

You can't take this check yet.

Members answer these 3 questions and keep the ticket for this lesson. Every lesson has one.

  1. Question 1, locked

    Which of these words means this? “Switch a key off so it stops working everywhere at once.”

    • Header
    • Revoke
    • API key
    • API
  2. Question 2, locked

    Which of these words means this? “Make a new key, move everything to it, then revoke the old one.”

    • Rotate
    • Scope
    • Bearer
    • Header
  3. Question 3, locked

    Which of these words means this? “GitHub searching repositories and their history for known key formats.”

    • API key
    • API
    • Secret scanning
    • Partner alert
End of Accounts, keys and moneyMembers onlyNow play it5 games from this module at four levels, and a stamp for your ticket book.

Elsewhere in the library

Hear about new courses.

Leave an email and we will tell you when something new lands. We do not write often.