A security researcher, Augustozanellato, found a GitHub Personal Access Token (PAT) with write access to private Shopify repositories within a publicly available MacOS desktop application. This vulnerability earned the researcher a $50,000 bounty from Shopify's bug bounty program.
The vulnerability stemmed from a leftover .env file within the application's files. This file contained environment variables, one of which was the GH_TOKEN. This token granted both read and write access to Shopify's private GitHub repositories.
The discovery underscores a serious supply chain risk. Unauthorized access to the private repositories could have had devastating consequences for Shopify and its users.
The incident highlights the importance of secure coding practices, thorough code reviews, and robust security measures to prevent such vulnerabilities. Removing sensitive information like access tokens from publicly accessible applications is crucial for maintaining security and preventing data breaches.
Imagine stumbling across a GitHub token that gives write access to a company’s private repositories. That’s not just a security bug it’s a potential supply chain disaster.
That’s exactly what security researcher Augustozanellato found when reverse engineering a MacOS desktop application made by a Shopify employee. His discovery earned him a massive $50,000 bounty from Shopify’s bug bounty program.
Let’s break down what happened how he found it why it’s so critical and how YOU can find similar bugs.
Where was the bug?
This token had
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