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If you're using the shared Runners on GitLab.com, this is enabled by default.
CAUTION: **Caution:** Our Secret Detection jobs currently expect a Linux container type. Windows containers are not yet supported.
CAUTION: **Caution:**
If you use your own Runners, make sure the Docker version installed
is **not**`19.03.0`. See [troubleshooting information](../sast#error-response-from-daemon-error-processing-tar-file-docker-tar-relocation-error) for details.
Secret Detection is performed by a [specific analyzer](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/blob/master/lib/gitlab/ci/templates/Security/Secret-Detection.gitlab-ci.yml)
during the `secret-detection` job. It runs regardless of the programming
The Secret Detection analyzer includes [Gitleaks](https://github.com/zricethezav/gitleaks) and [TruffleHog](https://github.com/dxa4481/truffleHog) checks.
NOTE: **Note:**
The Secret Detection analyzer will ignore "Password in URL" vulnerabilities if the password begins
with a dollar sign (`$`) as this likely indicates the password being used is an environment
variable. For example, `https://username:$password@example.com/path/to/repo` won't be
detected, whereas `https://username:password@example.com/path/to/repo` would be detected.
You don't have to configure Secret Detection manually as shown in this section if you're using [Auto Secret Detection](../../../topics/autodevops/stages.md#auto-secret-detection-ultimate)
provided by [Auto DevOps](../../../topics/autodevops/index.md).
To enable Secret Detection for GitLab 13.1 and later, you must include the `Secret-Detection.gitlab-ci.yml` template that’s provided as a part of your GitLab installation. For GitLab versions earlier than 11.9, you can copy and use the job as defined in that template.
Add the following to your `.gitlab-ci.yml` file:
```yaml
include:
- template: Secret-Detection.gitlab-ci.yml
```
The included template creates Secret Detection jobs in your CI/CD pipeline and scans
that you can later download and analyze. Due to implementation limitations, we
always take the latest Secret Detection artifact available.
### Using the SAST Template
Prior to GitLab 13.1, Secret Detection was part of [SAST configuration](../sast#configuration).
If you already have SAST enabled for your app configured before GitLab 13.1,
you don't need to manually configure it.
CAUTION: **Planned Deprecation:**
In a future GitLab release, configuring Secret Detection with the SAST template will be deprecated. Please begin using `Secret-Detection.gitlab-ci.yml`
to prevent future issues. We have made a
[video to guide you through the process of transitioning](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2tjcQreDwQ)
to this new template.
<divclass="video-fallback">
See the video: <ahref="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2tjcQreDwQ">Walkthrough of historical secret scan</a>.
When using the SAST template, Secret Detection is performed by a [specific analyzer](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/blob/master/lib/gitlab/ci/templates/Security/SAST.gitlab-ci.yml#L180)
during the `sast` job. It runs regardless of the programming
language of your app, and you don't need to change your
CI/CD configuration file to enable it. Results are available in the SAST report.
### Customizing settings
The Secret Detection scan settings can be changed through [environment variables](#available-variables)
by using the
[`variables`](../../../ci/yaml/README.md#variables) parameter in `.gitlab-ci.yml`.
To override a job definition, (for example, change properties like `variables` or `dependencies`),
declare a job with the same name as the SAST job to override. Place this new job after the template
inclusion and specify any additional keys under it.
In the following example, we include the Secret Detection template and at the same time we
override the `secret-scan` job with the `SECRET_DETECTION_HISTORIC_SCAN` variable to `true`:
```yaml
include:
- template: Secret-Detection.gitlab-ci.yml
secrets-scan:
variables:
SECRET_DETECTION_HISTORIC_SCAN: true
```
Because the template is [evaluated before](../../../ci/yaml/README.md#include)
the pipeline configuration, the last mention of the variable takes precedence.
CAUTION: **Deprecation:**
Beginning in GitLab 13.0, the use of [`only` and `except`](../../../ci/yaml/README.md#onlyexcept-basic)
is no longer supported. When overriding the template, you must use [`rules`](../../../ci/yaml/README.md#rules) instead.
#### Available variables
Secret Detection can be customized by defining available variables:
| Environment variable | Default value | Description |
