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Baseten API Key

A Baseten API Key is a credential used to authenticate requests to the Baseten platform, which provides tools for deploying and managing machine learning models. This key allows applications to interact with Baseten's services, such as model deployment, inference, and monitoring. Exposure of this API key is a significant security concern because it can grant unauthorized access to sensitive operations and data within the Baseten environment.

How Does It Look​

Baseten API Keys can appear in various contexts, such as:

  • Environment variables:

    export BASETEN_API_KEY="bastn_1234567890abcdef"

  • Configuration files (JSON, YAML, .env):

    {
      "baseten_api_key": "bastn_1234567890abcdef"
    }
    baseten_api_key: bastn_1234567890abcdef

  • Code snippets:

    import baseten

    baseten.api_key = "bastn_1234567890abcdef"

Severity​

  • 🟠 High

This severity level is due to the potential for unauthorized access to Baseten's services, which could lead to data manipulation, unauthorized model deployment, or misuse of computational resources. The blast radius includes any application or service that relies on Baseten for machine learning operations.

What Can an Attacker Do?​

With immediate access to a Baseten API Key, an attacker can perform several actions that could compromise the integrity and security of your machine learning operations.

Key actions an attacker can perform:

  • Deploy or modify models (if the credential has deployment permissions)
  • Access sensitive data used in model training or inference (if the credential has data access permissions)
  • Consume computational resources for unauthorized purposes (if compute permissions are granted)
  • Extract model outputs for malicious use (if inference permissions are enabled)

An attacker could also use the API key to escalate privileges or move laterally within your infrastructure, potentially compromising other connected systems or services.

Real-World Impact​

The exposure of a Baseten API Key poses significant business risks, including:

Potential consequences include:

  • Data Exposure: Access to training data or model outputs (if the credential has read access to sensitive data)
  • Financial Loss: Increased costs due to unauthorized resource usage (if billing/resource creation is permitted)
  • Operational Disruption: Interruption of machine learning workflows (if the attacker has modify permissions)
  • Reputational Damage: Loss of trust from clients and stakeholders due to data breaches or service disruptions

In the worst-case scenario, an attacker could leverage the exposed API key to gain further access to your infrastructure, leading to cascading security incidents.

Prerequisites for Exploitation​

To exploit an exposed Baseten API Key, an attacker needs:

  • Network access to the Baseten API endpoints
  • Knowledge of API endpoints and operations to interact with
  • No rate limits or IP restrictions that could hinder unauthorized access

How to Verify If It's Active​

To verify if a Baseten API Key is active, use the following command:

curl -X GET "https://api.baseten.co/v1/models" -H "Authorization: Bearer [API_KEY]"

Valid credential response: A list of models or a success message indicating access to the Baseten API.

Invalid/expired credential response: An error message indicating unauthorized access or invalid credentials.

Detection Patterns​

Common Variable Names:

  • BASETEN_API_KEY
  • baseten_api_key
  • API_KEY_BAS
  • basetenKey
  • bastn_key
  • basetenToken

File Locations:

  • .env
  • config.json
  • settings.yaml
  • credentials.py
  • secrets.json

Regex Pattern:

bastn_[a-zA-Z0-9]{16,32}

Remediation Steps​

  1. Revoke immediately - Go to Baseten Dashboard > API Keys and delete the compromised key.
  2. Audit access logs - Review Baseten access logs for unauthorized model deployments or data access during the exposure window.
  3. Assess blast radius - Identify all systems, applications, and environments that used the exposed credential.
  4. Rotate credential - Generate a new API key in the Baseten Dashboard with least-privilege permissions.
  5. Update dependent systems - Deploy the new credential to all applications and update CI/CD pipelines securely.
  6. Harden access controls - Enable IP allowlisting in Baseten and require secure connections.
  7. Implement secrets management - Migrate credentials to a secrets manager (HashiCorp Vault, AWS Secrets Manager) to prevent hardcoding.
  8. Add detection controls - Set up pre-commit hooks and repository scanning to catch credential leaks before they reach production.

Credential exposures often go undetected for extended periods, increasing the window for exploitation. As a long-term strategy, plan to establish an internal process or engage an external vendor for continuous external exposure monitoring. This helps identify leaked secrets across public repositories, paste sites, dark web forums, and other external sources before attackers can leverage them. Proactive detection and rapid response are essential to minimizing the impact of credential leaks.

References​