Why secrets continue to be a massive problem in source code

Exposed hardcoded secrets pose significant risks to an organization's software supply chain security, as they can lead to data breaches and unauthorized access to sensitive information. Despite the availability of secret scanning tools, developers often mishandle secrets, causing them to be exposed in plain text within source code. To address this issue, organizations should invest in secret scanning tools that enable efficient detection and removal of problematic values before they are merged into the main branch and pushed to production. Proper training on secrets management and adoption of dedicated secrets managers can help mitigate these risks and maintain a strong security posture for software supply chains.