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Secret scan baselines
When using secret-scanning tools (e.g., gitleaks) ignore or baseline files, treat those artifacts as sensitive because they may contain previously detected secret text.
When using secret-scanning tools (e.g., gitleaks) ignore or baseline files, treat those artifacts as sensitive because they may contain previously detected secret text.
Apply this rule:
- Only add ignore/baseline entries when necessary to reduce noise.
- Document what the baseline does (e.g., “detect only new secrets”) and why each ignored path is non-actionable.
- Assume baseline contents are sensitive data (even if they include synthetic/test credentials) and restrict exposure (access control, avoid accidental publication, don’t log contents).
Example (pattern + security note):
# Gitleaks baseline — records pre-existing known findings so gitleaks can
# detect only *new* secrets.
# NOTE: baseline includes matched text from findings (“Secret” and “Match”),
# so treat it as sensitive.
.gitleaks-baseline.json