Base64 decoding depth assessment #4744
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Decoders (base64, UTF-16, escaped unicode) now chain iteratively: each decoder's output is fed back through all decoders until no new transformations occur or --max-decode-depth is reached (default: 5). This finds secrets hidden inside layered encodings, e.g. a base64 Docker auth blob containing a GCP private key, or a UTF-16 file with base64-encoded credentials. At depth=1 behavior is identical to the previous implementation. Extra depths exit early when no new data is produced, so the cost is <5% wall time on a large repo scan. Co-authored-by: Dylan Ayrey <dxa4481@rit.edu>
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Description:
This PR introduces an iterative decoding pipeline, allowing decoders (e.g., Base64, UTF-16) to chain their outputs. Previously, decoders ran independently on the original chunk, missing secrets hidden behind layered encoding (e.g., base64 within UTF-16, or double-base64-encoded values).
The
scannerWorkernow re-runs decoders on any new output, up to a configurable--max-decode-depth(default 5). This enables detection of secrets like GCP service accounts and private keys found within base64-encoded Docker auth configs, or Artifactory tokens within base64. The pipeline includes an early exit, ensuring negligible performance overhead for higher depths when no new decoded data is produced (typically <5% overhead compared to depth 1).Checklist:
make test-community)?make lintthis requires golangci-lint)?