AI Secrets & Credentials in AI Context

Detects secrets and credentials surfaced in AI/LLM context: private-key headers (RSA / EC / OpenSSH / generic) and connection-string passwords (password= / pwd=) pasted into prompts, chat exports, or AI-generated output. Reuses the intent of built-in credential SITs, re-scoped to the AI surface.

Type

regex

Engine

universal

Confidence

medium

Confidence justification

Medium and precision-oriented (library target >=0.92). Private-key headers are highly specific; connection-string passwords are broader, so placeholder exclusions and AI-context corroboration remove the named FP traps (placeholder keys, hashes, GUIDs, sample configs).

Detection quality

Verified

Jurisdictions

global

Regulations

OWASP LLM Top 10 2025, NIST AI RMF GenAI Profile

Frameworks

ISO 27001

Data categories

emerging, security

Risk rating

7

Platform compatibility

Purview: Compatible, GCP DLP: Compatible, Macie: Compatible, Zscaler: Compatible, Palo Alto: Compatible, Netskope: Unsupported

Pattern

-----BEGIN (?:RSA |EC |OPENSSH )?PRIVATE KEY-----

Corroborative evidence keywords

private key, password, credential, secret, connection string, [object Object], artificial intelligence, [object Object], large language model, Copilot, chatbot, assistant, agent, prompt, system prompt, tool call, completion, model

Proximity: 300 characters

Should match

• -----BEGIN RSA PRIVATE KEY----- — Low-tier probe - secret structure without AI context
• In the Copilot prompt: password=Sup3rSecretPwd99; connect now — Medium-tier probe - credential structure on an AI surface
• Copilot chat export: production connection string password=ProdSecret77; — High-tier probe - AI surface plus live production configuration context

Should not match

• Please reset your password by clicking the link. — No password=<value> assignment present. Documentation placeholders (your-password-here, PLACEHOLDER, xxxxxxxx) are excluded by the Guard_secrets_exclude_placeholder TextMatchFilter in Purview, not by the regex.
• The pwd field on the login form must be at least eight characters. — Prose reference to a password field with no pwd=<value> assignment
• PEM documentation shows -----BEGIN PRIVATE KEY----- — Secret syntax outside AI context — discovery only, must not enforce
• Template example for Copilot: production connection string password=your-password-here — Placeholder template with otherwise high-tier context
• Public documentation: set an environment variable before starting the application. — Deployment prose without a secret value

Known false positives

• Documentation, tutorials, and sample configuration files that contain placeholder secrets (your-password-here, PLACEHOLDER, xxxxxxxx) or connection-string templates. Mitigation: The Guard_secrets_exclude_placeholder TextMatchFilter excludes known placeholder tokens; require AI-context corroboration to raise confidence above the regex-only tier.
• Connection-string password assignments using non-secret values such as short test passwords or environment-variable references (password=$DB_PASS). Mitigation: Enforce the >=6-character value floor in the regex and corroborate with AI-context markers; treat environment-variable references as lower risk.

Collections

• AI Threat Classifiers