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Codacy API Key

Codacy API keys are used to authenticate requests to the Codacy platform, a tool that provides automated code reviews and quality analysis. These keys allow users to interact with Codacy's API to manage projects, retrieve analysis results, and configure settings programmatically. Exposure of a Codacy API key can lead to unauthorized access to code quality data and potentially sensitive project configurations, posing a significant security risk.

How Does It Look​

Codacy API keys can appear in various contexts, such as:

  • Environment variables:

    export CODACY_API_KEY="abcd1234efgh5678ijkl"

  • Configuration files (JSON):

    {
      "codacy": {
        "apiKey": "abcd1234efgh5678ijkl"
      }
    }

  • Code snippets:

    codacy_api_key = "abcd1234efgh5678ijkl"

  • Connection strings:

    codacy://abcd1234efgh5678ijkl@api.codacy.com

Severity​

  • 🟠 High

The severity of exposing a Codacy API key is high because it grants access to project configurations and analysis results. An attacker could manipulate code quality settings or access sensitive data, affecting the integrity of the codebase and potentially leading to further security vulnerabilities.

What Can an Attacker Do?​

With immediate access to a Codacy API key, an attacker can perform several actions:

  • Modify project settings (if the key has write permissions): An attacker could change code quality thresholds or disable certain checks.
  • Access analysis results (if the key has read permissions): This could expose vulnerabilities or sensitive information within the codebase.
  • Delete projects (if the key has administrative permissions): This could disrupt development workflows and lead to data loss.
  • Create or modify API tokens (if the key has management permissions): This could allow further unauthorized access.

An attacker could potentially escalate their access by exploiting other vulnerabilities within the codebase or using the information obtained to target other systems.

Real-World Impact​

Exposure of a Codacy API key poses significant business risks:

  • Data Exposure: Analysis results and project configurations (if the credential has read access to sensitive data)
  • Financial Loss: Costs associated with unauthorized changes or disruptions (if billing/resource creation is permitted)
  • Operational Disruption: Interruption of development processes (if the attacker has delete/modify permissions)
  • Reputational Damage: Loss of trust from stakeholders due to compromised code quality

In the worst-case scenario, the exposure could lead to cascading effects, such as further exploitation of vulnerabilities identified through the analysis results.

Prerequisites for Exploitation​

To exploit a Codacy API key, an attacker needs:

  • Network access: Ability to send requests to Codacy's API endpoints
  • Additional context: Knowledge of project IDs or specific endpoints to target
  • Rate limits: Awareness of any API rate limits that could restrict the number of requests

How to Verify If It's Active​

To verify if a Codacy API key is active, use the following command:

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer [API_KEY]" https://api.codacy.com/api/v3/me

Valid credential response: A successful response will include user information associated with the API key.

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

Detection Patterns​

Common Variable Names:

  • CODACY_API_KEY
  • codacyApiKey
  • CODACY_KEY
  • codacy_key
  • API_KEY_CODACY
  • codacyToken

File Locations:

  • .env
  • config.json
  • settings.yaml
  • credentials.py
  • application.properties

Regex Pattern:

[A-Za-z0-9]{16,32}

Remediation Steps​

  1. Revoke immediately - Go to Codacy > Account Settings > API Tokens and delete the compromised key.
  2. Audit access logs - Review Codacy audit logs for unauthorized access or changes 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 Codacy 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 Codacy and require two-factor authentication for account access.
  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​