Blocking Secrets at the Source: How Pre-Commit Hooks Prevent Git Leaks

API keys and credentials accidentally committed to git remain forever in repository history—a prime target for attackers scanning GitHub. Organizations face not just cleanup costs but severe blast radius: leaked AWS keys can incur massive compute charges, while Stripe key leaks expose customer payment data. This guide presents a practical POSIX pre-commit hook that automatically detects secret patterns before commits are finalized, making developer workflows the first line of defense.