Attack Vectors: The History of Cybersecurity

© The Author(s), under exclusive license to APress Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2025

M. HaberAttack Vectorshttps://doi.org/10.1007/979-8-8688-1709-0_17

17. Been Hacked?

Morey Haber¹  

(1)

Heathrow, Lake Mary, FL, USA

 

In order for resources to interact using different technologies, vendors, and platforms, organizations use secrets (credentials, API keys, tokens, etc.) to authenticate and automate workflows. This basic process ensures communication between machines, applications, and AI agents is authorized and appropriate. If secrets are stolen or lost, a cybersecurity breach is a potential result. When secrets carry administrative privileges, these small strings of code wield enormous power and are often referred to as “keys to the kingdom.” ...