Secret Scanning
In plain terms
Detecting credentials accidentally committed to code.
Going deeper
Secret scanning searches code and history for leaked passwords, API keys, and tokens so they can be revoked before misuse. It prevents credential leaks.
Under the hood
Runs in CI and on push; found secrets must be rotated, since history retains them.
Examples
GitHub secret scanning, gitleaks, pre-commit hooks, key leak prevention.
Think of it like...
Like a metal detector sweeping your code for accidentally dropped keys.