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Benchmarks

redact-secret · Report

IAM user secret access key

The 40-character secret paired with an IAM user access key ID. Has no distinguishing prefix or lexical marker.

  • Amazon Web Services
  • Detectors: aws-secret-access-key
  • Run 2026-10-07
  • Mode published · redact-secret 0.1.0-beta.14
All providers
  • Dossier verdictReady
  • Dossier evidence levelT2 · Tool-corroborated
  • Dossier researched2026-09-29
Registry detector aws-secret-access-key since redact-secret#1028 (registry pin 4fb7882). Contract in benchmarks/lib/beta8/1012a.ts from the #1012 research record: T2, context-constrained (exactly 40 [A-Za-z0-9/+] only under an AWS secret key name or next to an AKIA access key id); the value has no prefix, so no bare-value claim is made.

Research record

From credential-evidence snapshot-2026.10.06.4 · records at 77ce761 · schema 1.8.0. It describes the research on the format, not what any scanner or the product does, and not a support status.
  • Review stateDraft, not reviewed
  • Format revision1 · current
  • ResearchResearched
  • Researched2026-09-29

3 events in the review history: 2 observed, 1 reviewed. Latest: observed on 2026-09-29 by automation, project maintainer. Project-maintained review is not independent validation. The family record at this release.

Format

Provider format research from credential-evidence snapshot-2026.10.06.4 · records at 77ce761 · schema 1.8.0.

What it looks like

Descriptive pattern
^[A-Za-z0-9/+]{40}$

Parts are shown as recorded. Evidence classes belong to the facts below; no class is assigned to a part.

Format facts

Open questions

No open question is recorded for this revision.

Benchmark dossier notes

From the provider dossier, as written. The evidence level above says how well the format is backed; a fact the dossier does not record is not shown.
Shape
The 40-character secret paired with an access key ID, standard base64 characters (letters, digits, +, /). It has no prefix or lexical marker. Temporary (ASIA) credentials carry a secret of the same shape.
Contract in core
detector-families.md.

In this benchmark

Fixture rows on the current run. Counts are for redact-secret in published · redact-secret 0.1.0-beta.14 mode.
Fixtures
64
Left readable
1
Redacted too much
0
False alarms
0

64 fixtures: 4 expect a redaction, 43 must stay quiet, 17 record project policy. See every row

redact-secret fixture counts by evidence level
Evidence levelFixturesLeft readableToo muchFalse alarms
T1Provider-documented4100
T2Tool-corroborated18000
T3Project policy42000

Every scanner on the same fixtures

In run order. Counts are what each scanner recorded on this family's fixtures, whichever rules it has; a scanner with no rule for the family has nothing to report on it.

Counts per scanner on this family's fixtures
ScannerFixturesLeft readableToo muchFalse alarms
flare-redactRuntime library · 1.6.1 · Published npm package · secrets-only (pii, generic_assignment disabled) · JavaScript engine1 rule targets it64603
gitleaksRepository scanner · 8.30.1 · Directory scan · default rulesNo rule maps to it64800
redact-secretProduct measured here · 0.1.0-beta.14 · Published npm package · default detectors1 detector mapped64100
trufflehogRepository scanner · 3.97.4 · Filesystem scan · verification disabled1 rule targets it641900

Scanner rules for this family

Mapped by hand (reviewed 2026-09-30) from each scanner's pinned rule file, never from what a scanner found on the fixtures.
Peer scanner rules that target this family
ScannerRuleWhat the rule matches
flare-redact · rules 1.6.1aws_secret_keyaws_secret_access_key assignment + 40 characters
openredaction · rules 1.1.5AWS_SECRET_KEYaws or secret keyword + 40 characters
trufflehog · rules 3.97.4aws/access_keysAKIA, ABIA or ACCA id, reported with its paired secret

No rule maps to this family in gitleaks.

64 of 64 rows

Fixtures in this family

64 rows, redact-secret's outcome on each. Rows that need a look come first (1), then the rest in corpus order. Choose "Every scanner" to see each scanner's outcome for the same rows.
Fixtures in IAM user secret access key
FixtureKind and evidenceredact-secret
source-value-split-between-array-elementsjupyter-notebook-files-authored · notebook-cell-source-lines-joined-across-array-elementsMust redactT1 · Provider-documentedLeft readable
aws-secret-access-key-actions-envaws · documented-format-literalProject policyT3 · Project policyRedacted
aws-secret-access-key-aida-akia-next-line-twinaws · missing-context-markerMust not flagT3 · Project policy · twinQuiet
aws-secret-access-key-aida-akia-same-line-twinaws · missing-context-markerMust not flagT3 · Project policy · twinQuiet
aws-secret-access-key-akia-next-lineaws · documented-format-literalProject policyT3 · Project policyRedacted
aws-secret-access-key-akia-same-lineaws · documented-format-literalProject policyT3 · Project policyRedacted
aws-secret-access-key-boto3-kwargaws · documented-format-literalProject policyT3 · Project policyRedacted
aws-secret-access-key-chat-phraseaws · documented-format-literalProject policyT3 · Project policyRedacted
aws-secret-access-key-compose-envaws · documented-format-literalProject policyT3 · Project policyRedacted
aws-secret-access-key-create-access-key-yamlaws · documented-format-literalProject policyT3 · Project policyRedacted
aws-secret-access-key-credentials-fileaws · documented-format-literalProject policyT3 · Project policyRedacted
aws-secret-access-key-credentials-file-named-profileaws · documented-format-literalProject policyT3 · Project policyRedacted
aws-secret-access-key-dotenvaws · documented-format-literalProject policyT3 · Project policyRedacted
aws-secret-access-key-exportaws · documented-format-literalProject policyT3 · Project policyRedacted
aws-secret-access-key-iam-user-id-public-idaws · public-identifierMust not flagT2 · Tool-corroboratedQuiet
aws-secret-access-key-js-credentialsaws · documented-format-literalProject policyT3 · Project policyRedacted
aws-secret-access-key-json-memberaws · documented-format-literalProject policyT3 · Project policyRedacted
aws-secret-access-key-key-shape-bareaws · documented-format-literalProject policyT3 · Project policyRedacted
aws-secret-access-key-key-shape-quotedaws · documented-format-literalProject policyT3 · Project policyRedacted
aws-secret-access-key-key-shape-unicode-crlfaws · documented-format-literalProject policyT3 · Project policyRedacted
aws-secret-access-key-tfvarsaws · documented-format-literalProject policyT3 · Project policyRedacted
same-value-in-source-stream-result-json-error-and-tracebackjupyter-notebook-files-authored · notebook-literal-repeated-in-source-and-each-saved-output-kindMust redactT1 · Provider-documentedRedacted
source-one-array-element-per-linejupyter-notebook-files-authored · notebook-cell-source-lines-joined-across-array-elementsMust redactT1 · Provider-documentedRedacted
stdout-literal-where-source-has-environment-referencejupyter-notebook-files-authored · notebook-saved-output-holds-literal-that-source-only-referencesMust redactT1 · Provider-documentedRedacted
aws-secret-access-key-actions-secret-referenceaws · templated-referenceMust not flagT3 · Project policyQuiet
aws-secret-access-key-angle-placeholder-placeholderaws · documentation-placeholderMust not flagT3 · Project policyQuiet
aws-secret-access-key-artifact-digest-actions-twinaws · missing-context-markerMust not flagT3 · Project policy · twinQuiet
aws-secret-access-key-bare-in-log-near-missaws · format-near-missMust not flagT2 · Tool-corroboratedQuiet
aws-secret-access-key-bare-in-prose-near-missaws · format-near-missMust not flagT2 · Tool-corroboratedQuiet
aws-secret-access-key-bare-line-near-missaws · format-near-missMust not flagT2 · Tool-corroboratedQuiet
aws-secret-access-key-build-digest-chat-twinaws · missing-context-markerMust not flagT3 · Project policy · twinQuiet
aws-secret-access-key-configure-list-placeholderaws · documentation-placeholderMust not flagT3 · Project policyQuiet
aws-secret-access-key-data-uri-encoded-valueaws · benign-encoded-valueMust not flagT2 · Tool-corroboratedQuiet
aws-secret-access-key-docs-note-proseaws · prose-mentionMust not flagT3 · Project policyQuiet
aws-secret-access-key-env-reference-referenceaws · templated-referenceMust not flagT3 · Project policyQuiet
aws-secret-access-key-equals-inside-twinaws · wrong-alphabetMust not flagT2 · Tool-corroborated · twinQuiet
aws-secret-access-key-etag-encoded-valueaws · benign-encoded-valueMust not flagT2 · Tool-corroboratedQuiet
aws-secret-access-key-git-sha-public-idaws · public-identifierMust not flagT2 · Tool-corroboratedQuiet
aws-secret-access-key-hyphen-inside-twinaws · wrong-alphabetMust not flagT2 · Tool-corroborated · twinQuiet
aws-secret-access-key-key-shape-bare-twinaws · wrong-lengthMust not flagT2 · Tool-corroborated · twinQuiet
aws-secret-access-key-key-shape-quoted-twinaws · wrong-lengthMust not flagT2 · Tool-corroborated · twinQuiet
aws-secret-access-key-key-shape-unicode-crlf-twinaws · wrong-lengthMust not flagT2 · Tool-corroborated · twinQuiet
aws-secret-access-key-kms-alias-export-twinaws · missing-context-markerMust not flagT3 · Project policy · twinQuiet
aws-secret-access-key-label-proseaws · benign-lookalikeMust not flagT3 · Project policyQuiet
aws-secret-access-key-maskaws · benign-lookalikeMust not flagT3 · Project policyQuiet
aws-secret-access-key-masked-placeholderaws · documentation-placeholderMust not flagT3 · Project policyQuiet
aws-secret-access-key-missing-keywordaws · benign-lookalikeMust not flagT2 · Tool-corroboratedQuiet
aws-secret-access-key-policy-digest-yaml-twinaws · missing-context-markerMust not flagT3 · Project policy · twinQuiet
aws-secret-access-key-python-environ-referenceaws · templated-referenceMust not flagT3 · Project policyQuiet
aws-secret-access-key-referenceaws · benign-lookalikeMust not flagT3 · Project policyQuiet

Sources

Researched 2026-09-29.

Documentation and code

  • docs.aws.amazon.com/STS/latest/APIReference/API_GetAccessKeyInfo.html
  • docs.aws.amazon.com/macie/latest/user/mdis-reference-credentials.html
  • github.com/redact-secret/redact-secret/blob/4fb78827f1ddf5b3106f25130ca510a836ada186/docs/audits/evidence/1012/aws-iam-user-secret-access-key.md
  • docs.aws.amazon.com/IAM/latest/UserGuide/id_credentials_access-keys.html
  • docs.aws.amazon.com/IAM/latest/APIReference/API_AccessKey.html
  • github.com/awslabs/git-secrets/blob/7d6b970cbd3c216353cb22b383b70c150140662e/git-secrets
  • github.com/awslabs/ferret-scan/blob/c3b10fba90a5ed6178314ac646988546122afc60/internal/validators/secrets/validator.go#L1434-L1444
  • github.com/Yelp/detect-secrets/blob/5e141933554a0b74e7341841f318be21e895339c/detect_secrets/plugins/aws.py
  • github.com/trufflesecurity/trufflehog/blob/48b58d3bf3f02ba17bf23b87f095499bc80c6fd7/pkg/detectors/aws/common.go
  • github.com/hashicorp/aws-sdk-go-base/blob/41fc7e1b09a140821eb9cbe6889bb53072a0da2e/logging/aws.go
  • summitroute.com/blog/2018/06/20/aws_security_credential_formats/
  • docs.github.com/en/code-security/secret-scanning/introduction/supported-secret-scanning-patterns

Research log

Other Amazon Web Services families