To mitigate the risks associated with hard-coded or leaked secrets, consider the following:

- **Adopt Tokenization or Authentication Mechanisms:** Instead of transmitting raw credentials, consider implementing tokenization or authentication mechanisms such as OAuth or JWT (JSON Web Tokens) for accessing APIs. This reduces the risk of exposing sensitive credentials during transmission.
- **Implement Secure Transmission Protocols:** Ensure that all communications transmitting sensitive credentials are encrypted using secure protocols such as TLS (Transport Layer Security) to prevent eavesdropping and interception of credentials during transmission.
- **Rotate Credentials Regularly:** Implement a credential rotation policy to regularly rotate API keys, tokens, and other sensitive credentials. This minimizes the window of opportunity for attackers who may have intercepted credentials during transmission.

 