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IpStack API Key

The IpStack API Key is a credential used to authenticate requests to the IpStack service, which provides geolocation data based on IP addresses. This service is commonly used to determine the geographical location of users for applications such as content personalization, fraud prevention, and analytics. Exposure of this API key can lead to unauthorized access to the service, potentially resulting in misuse of the account and unexpected charges.

How Does It Look​

An IpStack API Key can appear in various contexts, such as:

  • Environment variables:

    export IPSTACK_API_KEY="1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef"

  • Configuration files (JSON):

    {
      "ipstack": {
        "apiKey": "1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef"
      }
    }

  • Code snippets:

    import requests

    api_key = "1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef"
    response = requests.get(f"http://api.ipstack.com/check?access_key={api_key}")

  • Connection strings:

    http://api.ipstack.com/check?access_key=1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef

Severity​

  • 🟡 Medium

The severity of an IpStack API Key exposure is considered medium because it allows unauthorized access to geolocation data services. While it does not provide direct access to sensitive user data, misuse can lead to increased service costs and potential data privacy concerns if the service is used to track user locations.

What Can an Attacker Do?​

With immediate access to the IpStack API Key, an attacker can perform unauthorized actions such as:

  • Access geolocation data: Retrieve location information for any IP address (if the API key has read permissions).
  • Exceed usage limits: Generate excessive requests leading to increased billing (if the account is not rate-limited).
  • Consume service resources: Use the service for unintended purposes, potentially affecting legitimate usage (if no usage restrictions are in place).

An attacker could potentially escalate their access by using the geolocation data to inform further attacks, such as targeting users based on their location or bypassing location-based security measures.

Real-World Impact​

Exposure of an IpStack API Key poses several business risks:

The primary impact is unauthorized access to geolocation services, which can lead to:

  • Data Exposure: Unauthorized retrieval of IP-based location data (if the API key allows access to sensitive endpoints).
  • Financial Loss: Increased service charges due to excessive API requests (if usage is not monitored).
  • Operational Disruption: Service interruptions if the account exceeds its usage limits (if the API key is abused).
  • Reputational Damage: Loss of trust if users' location data is misused.

In a worst-case scenario, the exposure could lead to cascading effects, such as targeted attacks on users based on their location data, potentially compromising user privacy and security.

Prerequisites for Exploitation​

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

  • Network access: Ability to send requests to the IpStack API endpoint.
  • API endpoint knowledge: Understanding of the IpStack API structure and endpoints.
  • No rate limits: Lack of effective rate limiting on the account to prevent abuse.

How to Verify If It's Active​

To verify if an IpStack API Key is active, use the following command:

curl -X GET "http://api.ipstack.com/check?access_key=[API_KEY]"

Valid credential response: A successful response will include geolocation data, such as country, city, and latitude/longitude.

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

Detection Patterns​

Common Variable Names:

  • IPSTACK_API_KEY
  • IPSTACK_KEY
  • GEOLOCATION_API_KEY
  • LOCATION_KEY
  • API_KEY
  • ACCESS_KEY

File Locations:

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

Regex Pattern:

(?i)(ipstack|geolocation|location)_?api_?key['"]?\s*[:=]\s*['"]?[a-f0-9]{32}['"]?

Remediation Steps​

  1. Revoke immediately - Go to the IpStack dashboard and regenerate the API key to invalidate the compromised one.
  2. Audit access logs - Review IpStack usage logs for unusual patterns or unauthorized requests during the exposure window.
  3. Assess blast radius - Identify all systems, applications, and environments that used the exposed API key.
  4. Rotate credential - Generate a new API key in the IpStack dashboard and update all dependent systems with the new key.
  5. Update dependent systems - Deploy the new API key to all applications and update CI/CD pipelines securely.
  6. Harden access controls - Implement IP whitelisting and rate limiting in the IpStack account settings to restrict unauthorized access.
  7. Implement secrets management - Migrate API keys 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​