Insecure Source Code Management

SKILL: Insecure Source Code Management

> AI LOAD INSTRUCTION: This skill covers detection and recovery of exposed version-control metadata, common backup artifacts, and related misconfigurations. Use only in authorized assessments. Treat recovered credentials and URLs as sensitive; do not exfiltrate real data beyond scope. For broad discovery workflow, cross-load [recon-for-sec](../recon-for-sec/SKILL.md) and [recon-and-methodology](../recon-and-methodology/SKILL.md) when those skills exist in the workspace.

0. QUICK START

High-value paths to probe first (GET or HEAD, respect rate limits):

/.git/HEAD
/.git/config
/.svn/entries
/.svn/wc.db
/.hg/requires
/.bzr/README
/.DS_Store
/.env

Routing note: quickly probe these paths first; for full recon workflow, load methodology from recon-for-sec and recon-and-methodology before deeper testing.

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1. GIT EXPOSURE

Detection

• /.git/HEAD — valid repo often returns plain text like:

ref: refs/heads/main

• /.git/config — may expose remote.origin.url, user identity, or embedded credentials.
• /.git/index, /.git/objects/ — partial object store access enables reconstruction with the right tools.

403 vs 404

• 404 — path likely absent or fully blocked at the edge.
• 403 on /.git/ — directory may exist but listing is denied; still try direct file URLs:

/.git/HEAD
/.git/config
/.git/logs/HEAD
/.git/refs/heads/main

A 403 on the directory plus 200 on HEAD strongly indicates exposure.

Recovery tools (open source)

• arthaud/git-dumper — dumps reachable .git tree when individual files are fetchable.
• internetwache/GitTools — Dumper, Extractor, Finder modules for partial/corrupt dumps.
• WangYihang/GitHacker — alternative recovery when standard dumpers miss edge cases.

Key files to prioritize

| Path | Why it matters | |------|----------------| | .git/config | Remotes, credentials, hooks paths | | .git/logs/HEAD | Commit history, reflog-style leakage | | .git/refs/heads/* | Branch tips, commit SHAs | | .git/packed-refs | Packed branch/tag refs | | .git/objects/** | Object blobs for reconstruction |

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2. SVN EXPOSURE

Detection

• SVN before 1.7: /.svn/entries — XML or text metadata listing paths and revisions.
• SVN ≥ 1.7: /.svn/wc.db — SQLite working copy database (PRAGMA table_info after download).

Example probe:

GET /.svn/entries HTTP/1.1
GET /.svn/wc.db HTTP/1.1

Recovery

• anantshri/svn-extractor — automated extraction from exposed .svn.
• Manual: download wc.db, query with sqlite3 for file paths and checksums, then request /.svn/pristine/ blobs if exposed.

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3. MERCURIAL EXPOSURE

Detection

• /.hg/requires — small text file listing repository features; confirms Mercurial metadata.

GET /.hg/requires HTTP/1.1
GET /.hg/store/ HTTP/1.1

Recovery

• sahildhar/mercurial_source_code_dumper — dumps repository when store paths are reachable.

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4. OTHER LEAKS

Bazaar (Bzr)

• Probe /.bzr/README and /.bzr/branch-format for Bazaar metadata.

macOS .DS_Store

• /.DS_Store can encode directory and filename listings.
• Tools: gehaxelt/ds-store, lijiejie/ds_store_exp — parse .DS_Store offline.

Backup and config artifacts

Probe (adjust for app root and naming conventions):

/.env
/backup.zip
/backup.tar.gz
/wwwroot.rar
/backup.sql
/config.php.bak
/.config.php.swp

Web server misconfiguration signal (example: NGINX)

• location /.git { deny all; } — may return 403 for /.git/ while still allowing or denying specific subpaths depending on rules.
• 403 on a protected location can confirm the route exists; always distinguish from 404 on non-existent paths.

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5. DECISION TREE

1. Probe /.git/HEAD → ref: refs/heads/ pattern? → run git-dumper / GitTools / GitHacker; review config and logs/HEAD for secrets.
2. Else probe /.svn/wc.db or entries → success? → svn-extractor or manual wc.db + pristine recovery.
3. Else probe /.hg/requires → success? → mercurial dumper.
4. Else probe /.bzr/README → Bazaar tooling or manual path walk.
5. Parallel: fetch /.DS_Store, /.env, common backup extensions on app root and parent paths.
6. Interpret status codes: 403 on directory + 200 on specific files → treat as high priority for file-by-file extraction.

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6. RELATED ROUTING

• From [recon-for-sec](../recon-for-sec/SKILL.md) — scope-safe discovery, crawling, and fingerprinting before deep VCS tests.
• From [recon-and-methodology](../recon-and-methodology/SKILL.md) — structured methodology and evidence handling.

Note: coordinate with recon skills—set scope and request rate first, then run targeted VCS/backup validation.

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: yaklang
• Source: yaklang/hack-skills
• License: MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.