Credentials and secrets should never be stored persistently in memory or written to files. Instead, use ephemeral patterns that limit the lifetime of sensitive data:
Credentials and secrets should never be stored persistently in memory or written to files. Instead, use ephemeral patterns that limit the lifetime of sensitive data:
Example of a problematic pattern:
pub struct AskPassSession {
askpass_helper: String,
_askpass_task: Task<()>,
secret: std::sync::Arc<std::sync::Mutex<String>>, // Stores credential persistently
}
Better pattern:
// Create a one-time channel for the credential
let (askpass, askpass_rx) = create_oneshot_channel();
// Use the credential only when needed
let Some(password) = askpass_rx.next().await else { /* handle error */ };
let socket = SshSocket::new(connection_options, &temp_dir, password)?;
// Password is consumed and doesn't persist in memory
This approach ensures credentials exist in memory only for the minimum time necessary and reduces the security risk if the application memory is compromised.
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