TruffleHog

TruffleHog is an open-source tool designed to detect secrets and sensitive information in git repositories by examining their history. It searches for high-entropy strings and matches to known secret patterns that may have been committed accidentally, such as passwords, API keys, tokens, and private credentials.

The tool analyzes commit histories and repository contents, often by cloning a repository and traversing its history across branches. It uses entropy calculations to flag random-looking data and applies regular expressions to identify common secret formats (for example, private keys or API credentials). TruffleHog can report findings with details such as the repository URL, commit SHA, file path, and the specific line containing the potential secret, along with a confidence score. It is usable against local repositories or remote sources and can be configured to run with different scanning modes and output formats.

Usage typically involves installing the software via a package manager and invoking it on a target repository. Common options include selecting the scan scope (entire history vs. recent commits), choosing output formats (such as JSON or plain text), and adjusting entropy thresholds or secret-pattern rules. It is often employed in security workflows to identify leaked credentials before they are exploited and to inform remediation steps.

Limitations and considerations include the possibility of false positives from benign high-entropy data and the need to rotate or revoke any identified secrets. Scanning private repositories requires appropriate access tokens, and results should be integrated into a broader secrets-management and incident-response strategy rather than relied upon as a definitive security measure.

See also: related secret-scanning tools and repositories that focus on detecting exposed credentials.