🔒 Critical Hardcoded Secrets Exposed in Multiple Code Repositories

A security vulnerability report details the discovery of hardcoded secrets in four separate source code files, classified as a CRITICAL severity issue. The vulnerabilities involve the exposure of sensitive credentials, including API keys, passwords, and secret keys, directly within the source code. This practice poses a severe risk if the code is leaked or accessed by unauthorized parties. The affected files include `dockerized_labs/broken_auth_lab/app.py`, which contains a hardcoded Flask secret key; `dockerized_labs/sensitive_data_exposure/sensitive_data_lab/settings.py`, with a hardcoded Django SECRET_KEY; `introduction/views.py`, exposing a hardcoded admin password hash; and `pygoat/settings.py`, containing another hardcoded Django SECRET_KEY. The report classifies the issue under CWE-798 (Use of Hard-coded Credentials) and OWASP A07:2021 (Identification and Authentication Failures), with an 80% confidence rating. The primary recommendation is to remove all hardcoded secrets from the source code and implement secure practices such as using environment variables or dedicated secret management services to handle sensitive credentials.