Stop Slacking Secrets: The "Just DM Me" Security Gap
API_KEY: sk_live_8374...
"Hey, can you send me the production DB password real quick?" It's a message that appears in thousands of engineering channels every day. The response is usually a quick copy-paste into Slack, Teams, or Discord. And just like that, your company's security posture has been breached.
🕵️ The Hacker's First Move: "Slack Dorking"
When a bad actor gains access to a Slack workspace (often via a stolen session token), they don't manually read every message. They run a script.
> search "sk_live" in:#backend
> search "BEGIN RSA PRIVATE KEY"
If you have pasted secrets in 2023, they are still there in 2025 waiting to be found.
The Infostealer Threat
Modern malware doesn't just try to guess your password; it steals your session cookies. If an attacker compromises a developer's laptop, they can simply open Slack or Teams. Because the session is persistent, they have full access to every secret ever pasted in that channel history.
| Feature | Slack DM | Secret Pusher |
|---|---|---|
| Persistence | Forever (Searchable) | Ephemeral (Self-destructs) |
| Access Control | Anyone in channel | One-time view only |
| Logs | stored on Server | No logs kept |
The 5-Minute Audit Challenge
Don't believe me? Open your work chat right now and search for "password". You will likely find credentials from 3 years ago that are still active.
❌ The Old Way
User A: sk_live_8374...
* Stays in history forever
✅ The Secret Pusher Way
User A: https://secretpusher.com/push/xyz...
* Destroys after 1 view
3 Rules for Secure Chat
- Never Paste Plaintext: Treat chat inputs as public billboards. If you wouldn't tweet it, don't Slack it without protection.
- Use One-Time Links: Use tools like Secret Pusher to ensure the data exists only for the moment it is needed.
- Audit Your Channels: Periodically search your DMs for keywords like "password" or "key" and delete those messages.
Clean Up Your Chat History
Stop leaving digital footprints. Share your next secret with a self-destructing link.
Generate Secure Link