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Groq API Key

Groq API Keys are used to authenticate requests to Groq's high-performance computing services. These keys allow applications to interact with Groq's APIs, enabling tasks such as data processing and resource management. Exposure of a Groq API Key is a significant security concern because it can grant unauthorized access to sensitive operations and data within the Groq environment.

How Does It Look​

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

  • Environment variables

    export GROQ_API_KEY="groq_12345abcde"

  • Configuration files (JSON)

    {
      "apiKey": "groq_12345abcde"
    }

  • Code snippets

    import requests

    headers = {"Authorization": "Bearer groq_12345abcde"}
    response = requests.get("https://api.groq.com/data", headers=headers)

  • Connection strings

    https://api.groq.com/data?api_key=groq_12345abcde

Severity​

  • 🔴 Critical

The severity of exposing a Groq API Key is critical because it can provide full access to Groq's computing services. An attacker with this key can perform unauthorized operations, potentially leading to data breaches, financial loss, and service disruptions. The blast radius is extensive, affecting all systems and data accessible via the API.

What Can an Attacker Do?​

With immediate access to a Groq API Key, an attacker can execute a range of malicious activities:

An attacker can immediately access Groq's computing resources, potentially leading to unauthorized data processing and manipulation.

Key actions an attacker can perform:

  • Delete or modify data (if the credential has write permissions)
  • Access billing information (if the account has billing scope enabled)
  • Spin up resources for cryptomining (if compute permissions are granted)
  • Extract sensitive data (if read access is available)

Additionally, an attacker could escalate their access by exploiting other vulnerabilities within the Groq environment, potentially moving laterally to compromise more systems.

Real-World Impact​

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

The primary impact is the unauthorized use of Groq's computing resources, which can lead to severe operational and financial consequences.

Potential consequences include:

  • Data Exposure: Sensitive computational data (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: Service outages or degraded performance (if the attacker has delete/modify permissions)
  • Reputational Damage: Loss of customer trust and brand integrity

In the worst-case scenario, the exposure could lead to cascading effects, such as widespread data breaches and prolonged service downtime.

Prerequisites for Exploitation​

To exploit a Groq API Key, an attacker needs:

  • Network access to the Groq API endpoints
  • Knowledge of API endpoints and any required parameters
  • No rate limits or IP restrictions that could hinder unauthorized access

How to Verify If It's Active​

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

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer [API_KEY]" https://api.groq.com/verify

Valid credential response: A successful response will include a status code of 200 and a message indicating valid authentication.

Invalid/expired credential response: An error message with a status code of 401 or 403 will indicate invalid or expired credentials.

Detection Patterns​

Common Variable Names:

  • GROQ_API_KEY
  • API_KEY
  • GROQ_KEY
  • GROQ_SECRET
  • AUTH_TOKEN
  • BEARER_TOKEN

File Locations:

  • .env
  • config.json
  • settings.yaml
  • credentials.txt
  • appsettings.json

Regex Pattern:

groq_[a-zA-Z0-9]{10,}

Remediation Steps​

  1. Revoke immediately - Go to Groq Console > Security > API Keys and delete the compromised key.
  2. Audit access logs - Review Groq API logs for unauthorized requests 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 Groq Console 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 Groq and require TLS 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​