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NASA API Key

NASA API Keys are used to authenticate requests to various NASA data services and APIs, which provide access to a wealth of scientific data, imagery, and other resources. These keys are essential for developers and researchers who wish to integrate NASA's data into their applications or conduct scientific analysis. However, exposure of these API keys can lead to unauthorized access to NASA's data services, potentially resulting in data misuse or service abuse.

How Does It Look​

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

  • Environment variables:

    export NASA_API_KEY="ABC123XYZ456"

  • Configuration files (JSON):

    {
      "nasaApiKey": "ABC123XYZ456"
    }

  • Code snippets:

    nasa_api_key = "ABC123XYZ456"

  • Connection strings:

    https://api.nasa.gov/planetary/apod?api_key=ABC123XYZ456

Severity​

  • 🟡 Medium

The severity is considered medium because while the API key provides access to NASA's data services, it typically does not grant write permissions or access to sensitive data. The primary risk is service abuse, such as exceeding rate limits or unauthorized data access, which could disrupt legitimate users.

What Can an Attacker Do?​

With immediate access to a NASA API Key, an attacker can interact with NASA's public data services.

Key actions an attacker can perform:

  • Access public data: Retrieve data from NASA's APIs (if the API key is valid and active)
  • Exceed rate limits: Consume API resources excessively, potentially impacting service availability for legitimate users (if rate limits are not enforced)
  • Data scraping: Automate data extraction for unauthorized purposes (if the API allows bulk data retrieval)

While the API key does not typically allow for data modification or deletion, an attacker could use it to gather large volumes of data, potentially leading to service disruptions or data misuse.

Real-World Impact​

Exposure of a NASA API Key poses a risk primarily to service availability and data integrity.

Potential consequences include:

  • Data Exposure: Public data could be accessed in bulk (if the API key allows extensive data retrieval)
  • Operational Disruption: Legitimate users may experience service degradation (if rate limits are exceeded)
  • Reputational Damage: NASA's services could be perceived as unreliable (if abuse leads to frequent outages)

While the exposure of a NASA API Key is unlikely to lead to catastrophic outcomes, it can result in significant operational challenges and reputational harm if not addressed promptly.

Prerequisites for Exploitation​

  • Network access requirements: Internet access to reach NASA's public APIs
  • Additional context needed: Knowledge of NASA API endpoints and data structures
  • Rate limits or restrictions: Potential rate limiting by NASA to prevent abuse

How to Verify If It's Active​

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

curl -X GET "https://api.nasa.gov/planetary/apod?api_key=[API_KEY]"

Valid credential response: A successful response will return data from the API, such as an image URL or metadata.

Invalid/expired credential response: An error message indicating an invalid or expired API key.

Detection Patterns​

Common Variable Names:

  • NASA_API_KEY
  • nasaApiKey
  • apiKey
  • NASA_KEY
  • nasa_key
  • api_key

File Locations:

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

Regex Pattern:

(?i)(nasa[_-]?api[_-]?key)[\s=:]+["']?[A-Za-z0-9]{10,}["']?

Remediation Steps​

  1. Revoke immediately - Go to NASA's API management portal and revoke the compromised API key.
  2. Audit access logs - Review access logs for unusual activity or excessive requests during the exposure window.
  3. Assess blast radius - Identify all systems and applications that used the exposed API key.
  4. Rotate credential - Generate a new API key through NASA's API management portal.
  5. Update dependent systems - Deploy the new API key to all applications and update CI/CD pipelines securely.
  6. Harden access controls - Implement IP allowlisting and rate limiting to protect API access.
  7. Implement secrets management - Migrate API keys to a secrets manager (e.g., 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​