Betterleaks, a newly released open-source tool, can examine directories, files, and Git repositories to find valid secrets using customizable or pre-set rules.

Secret scanners are specialized tools that search code repositories for sensitive information like credentials, API keys, and tokens that programmers may have accidentally included.

These tools are valuable since attackers often look through configuration files in public repositories for sensitive data. By identifying and protecting secrets early, they can prevent attackers from exploiting them.

The Betterleaks project aims to improve upon Gitleaks and is supported by Aikido, a Belgian company offering a platform to secure software development.

Betterleaks was developed by Zach Rice, Aikido Security’s Head of Secrets Scanning, who also created Gitleaks, a popular tool with 26 million GitHub downloads and over 35 million pulls on Docker and GitHub Container Registry (GHCR).

Rice stated, “Betterleaks is the next generation of Gitleaks. We’re improving it in every way possible.”

Rice created Betterleaks because he lost complete control of Gitleaks, which he began developing eight years earlier. The new tool offers these features:

The developer intends to add features to Betterleaks in future releases, including supporting more data sources beyond Git and files, using AI to help classify secrets, including more filters, enabling automated secret revocation using provider APIs, mapping permissions, and improving performance.

Rice notes that the project is open-source under the MIT license and maintained by a team of four people, including contributors from the Royal Bank of Canada, Red Hat, and Amazon.

Rice emphasized that Betterleaks aims to be both user-friendly and compatible with AI-driven workflows, incorporating CLI features optimized for automated tools that scan code produced by AI.