Researchers at JFrog, while testing the new "Secrets Detection" feature of JFrog Advanced Security, discovered a surprisingly high number of leaked access tokens across various open-source repositories, leading to broader research into the origins and implications of these leaks. The study revealed that cloud services, while essential for modern computing, pose significant risks due to the potential exposure of access tokens, which can lead to severe security breaches if used by unauthorized parties. The research involved scanning over 8 million artifacts from popular software registries like DockerHub, NPM, and PyPI, identifying active tokens that could be exploited. DockerHub had the highest incidence of leaked tokens, largely due to its closed nature and lack of public contact information for image maintainers, which makes reporting and resolving security issues challenging. The study identified common mistakes by developers, such as not using automated tools to detect secret exposures, generating tokens with broad permissions, and failing to moderate access to secrets effectively. The researchers advocated for best practices, including using secret scanners in DevOps pipelines, setting token expiration dates, and employing moderation tools to manage token access. The findings were shared privately with affected parties to allow for remediation, and the research underscored the importance of robust secret management to prevent data breaches.