GitHub Secret Scanning Alert Created

Severity: medium
Log types: GitHub.Audit
Tags: GitHub
Reference: https://docs.github.com/en/code-security/secret-scanning/about-secret-scanning
Source: github.com/panther-labs/panther-analysis

GitHub detected a secret and created a secret scanning alert.

MITRE ATT&CK coverage

Tactic	Techniques
Credential Access	`T1552` Unsecured Credentials

Rules detecting the same action

Other rules on this platform that filter on the same API call or operation.

GitHub Secret Scanning Alert (YARA-L)

Rule body yaml

AnalysisType: rule
Filename: github_secret_scanning_alert_created.py
RuleID: "GitHub.Secret.Scanning.Alert.Created"
DisplayName: "GitHub Secret Scanning Alert Created"
Enabled: true
LogTypes:
  - GitHub.Audit
Tags:
  - GitHub
Reports:
  MITRE ATT&CK:
    - TA0006:T1552
Severity: Medium
Description: GitHub detected a secret and created a secret scanning alert.
Runbook: Review the secret to determine if it needs to be revoked or the alert suppressed.
Reference: https://docs.github.com/en/code-security/secret-scanning/about-secret-scanning
Tests:
  - Name: secret_scanning_alert.create-true
    ExpectedResult: True
    Log:
      {
        "action": "secret_scanning_alert.create",
        "actor": "github",
        "actor_id": "1234",
        "business": "Acme Inc.",
        "business_id": "12345",
        "created_at": "2023-10-18 18:20:52.209000000",
        "number": 12,
        "org": "acme-inc",
        "org_id": 1234567,
        "repo": "acme-inc/crown-jewels",
        "repo_id": 123456789,
      }
  - Name: git.clone-false
    ExpectedResult: False
    Log:
      {
        "_document_id": "KCYtigpnShPBSohA4OXbRg==",
        "action": "git.clone",
        "actor": "acme-inc-user",
        "actor_id": "123456789",
        "actor_ip": "5.6.7.8",
        "actor_location": { "country_code": "US" },
        "at_sign_timestamp": "2023-11-20 21:20:09.423",
        "business": "acme-inc",
        "business_id": "12345",
        "external_identity_nameid": "",
        "external_identity_username": "",
        "hashed_token": "0771cae4d170dc02a6ff393d9946cd684d6145c1=",
        "org": "acme-inc",
        "org_id": 12345678,
        "programmatic_access_type": "OAuth access token",
        "repo": "acme-inc/a-repo",
        "repository": "acme-inc/a-repo",
        "repository_public": false,
        "token_id": "0123456789",
        "transport_protocol": 1,
        "transport_protocol_name": "http",
        "user": "",
        "user_agent": "git/2.30.2",
        "user_id": "0",
      }

Detection logic

Condition

action eq "secret_scanning_alert.create"

Indicators

Each row is a field, operator, and value that the rule matches. The corpus column counts how many other rules in the catalog look for the same combination: high numbers point to widely-used, community-vetted indicators. Blank or 1 shows that the indicator is specific to this rule.

Field	Kind	Values
`action`	eq	`secret_scanning_alert.create`

Output fields

Fields the rule emits when it matches. Chronicle authors list these in the outcome block; they appear on the detection and $risk_score drives alerting. Sentinel / Defender XDR rules build them up through project / summarize / extend stages. Sentinel maps these into alert fields via entityMappings and customDetails; Defender XDR custom detections surface them as alert fields directly.

Field	Source
`github_organization`	`org`
`github_repository`	`repo`
`alert_number`	`number`

`j` / `k`	Scroll down / up
`d` / `u`	Half-page down / up
`gg` / `G`	Top / bottom
`h` / `l`	History back / forward
`f`	Follow link (`Shift` = new tab)
`/`	Focus search
`?`	Toggle this help
`↑` / `↓`	Navigate search results
`Enter`	Open highlighted result
`Esc`	Close results / dialog

`type:`	`events` / `rules` / `providers`
`vendor:`	`sigma` / `elastic` / `splunk` / `kusto` / `chronicle` (vendor name alone also works: `sigma:`, `kql:`, `secops:`…)
`tactic:`	TA-id, slug, or name: `credential_access`, `TA0006`
`technique:`	technique or sub-technique ID: `T1003`, `T1003.001` (alias `tech:`)
`severity:`	`critical` / `high` / `medium` / `low` / `informational` (alias `sev:`)
`risk_score`	Numeric comparison on the Elastic risk score (0 to 100): `risk_score>50`, `risk_score<=20`, `risk_score=99` (alias `risk`; Elastic rules only)
`stages:`	Rules with exactly N pipeline stages
`correlation:`	`single_event` / `sequence` / `alternatives` / `alternatives_cross_log` / `all_required` / `correlated`
`with:`	Co-occurrence event-id; stacks (`with:4624 with:4769`) to require all, while a comma list in one occurrence (`with:4624,4769`) is an either-or group. Implies multi-event
`like:`	Structural neighbors of a rule slug (equivalents + subsumption stricter / broader): `like:comsvcs_lsass_memory_dump-splunk-sysmon`
`groupby:`	Entity-grouping substring match against `group_by_keys`: `groupby:user`, `groupby:host`
`uses:`	Rules whose predicate tree touches the field (any kind, any value): `uses:CommandLine`
`excludes:`	Rules with top-level `not()` clauses on the field (FP whitelists): `excludes:ParentImage`
`field:` / `value:`	Predicate search; narrows rule cards to those with a matching leaf and drives the indicator tier. Unquoted = substring, wildcards allowed (`value:mimikatz`)
`indicator:`	Shorthand for `field:F value:V`: `indicator:Image=*\powershell.exe`
`kind:`	Filter by predicate kind. Narrows rule cards to those carrying a matching predicate leaf (`vendor:elastic kind:cidr_match`) and drives the indicator tier: `contains` / `starts_with` / `ends_with` / `regex` / `cidr` / `eq` / `in` … (operator aliases `op:`/`match:`)
`has:` / `no:`	`sample`, `field`, `notes`, `refs`, `trace`, `thirdparty`, `rule`, `pattern`, `timewindow`, `threshold`, `newterms`, `sigma`/`elastic`/`splunk`/`kusto`/`chronicle`
`-op:val`	Exclude matches; works on most operators but not `type:`/`like:`/`has:`/`no:` (use `no:<flag>` to exclude a rule flag): `tactic:execution -vendor:splunk`. Standalone `-kind:`/`-field:`/`-value:` drop every rule carrying a matching predicate leaf (`type:rules -kind:is_null`)
`field:"…"` / `value:"…"`	Quoted value = anchored exact match (also allows spaces): `value:"net user"`
`a,b`	Comma = OR inside one operator (`vendor:sigma,elastic`, `severity:high,critical`); repeating a facet merges the same way. `field:`/`value:` never split (literal commas)
`vendors:` / `stage:`	Singular and plural spellings fold to the canonical operator and value: `tactics:` = `tactic:`, `type:event` = `type:events`, `correlation:sequences` = `correlation:sequence`, `has:thresholds` = `has:threshold`
`"quoted phrase"`	Exact-match a multi-word phrase (free text)