An Okta API token lets its holder call the Okta management API with the permissions of the account that created it. A token made by a super administrator can manage users, groups, applications and policies across the whole org. That makes it a direct route into everything your staff sign in to. Revoke the token first, then go through the System Log to see what it did.
Check your GitHub account for leaked secrets — free
- Provider
- Okta
- Severity
- Critical
- Impact
- Cloud infrastructure access
- Checked live by LeakWatch
- No
What an Okta API Token looks like
A static Okta API token, the kind sent in an Authorization: SSWS header, is a 42-character string that starts with 00. The rest is letters, digits, underscores, hyphens or equals signs. Okta shows it once, when it is created. The string alone is not enough to recognize it, so the context matters: a variable named OKTA_API_TOKEN or OKTA_TOKEN, an SSWS header, or a call to your org’s Okta domain.
00…XXXX Okta API token (masked)
Okta also issues OAuth access tokens, which are JSON Web Tokens and look different. Those expire within a short time. A static API token does not expire on its own, which is why a leaked one stays dangerous until someone revokes it.
How Okta API Tokens get leaked
- Identity automation with a literal token. Provisioning or reporting scripts committed to a repository with the token inside.
- Infrastructure code. A Terraform or other provider block that holds the token directly instead of reading it from a variable.
- Debug output.
.envfiles and CI variables printed in logs during a troubleshooting run. - Tickets and attachments. A migration or support request that includes a script with the token still in it.
- Orphaned tokens. A token created by an administrator who has since left, still used by a script nobody remembers.
What to do in the first hour
- Create a replacement token first. In the Admin Console, create a new token. Prefer a dedicated service account with the narrowest role your script needs, not a personal administrator account.
- Deploy the replacement to the script, the CI system or the secret manager. Run one read-only request to confirm it works.
- Revoke the exposed token from the same page. Once revoked, the old value is rejected on the next request.
- Read the System Log. Open Reports, then System Log, and filter for the period since the exposure. Look for admin actions you did not take: new admin role assignments, new applications, policy and sign-on rule changes, new users, and multi-factor resets.
- Check users and sessions. Look for users you do not recognize, unexpected admin grants, and any account whose password or multi-factor settings changed.
- Review the other tokens. List the API tokens in the org, delete any you cannot tie to a current owner, and check the roles of the account that created the leaked one.
- Clean the repository. See I accidentally pushed an API key to GitHub, and use deep scan your whole git history to find older copies.
Not sure what else leaked? Run a free scan.
Revoke it at Okta
Open the API tokens page in the Okta Admin Console, under Security and then API. Find the token by its name and creation date, and revoke it. Check that you are in the right org first, because tokens belong to one org and a token missing from the list is probably in another. Revoke the exposed token once the replacement is live. If a person created the token, also check that person’s role and any other tokens they made.
How LeakWatch detects it
The rule is called Okta Access Token. It looks for the word okta in lowercase, Okta or OKTA, followed within about 20 characters by an assignment sign, a colon or an arrow, then an optional quote and a value of exactly 42 characters that begins with 00. The rest of the value can contain letters, digits, underscores, hyphens and equals signs. The label must sit close to the value, so a 42-character string with no nearby word is not reported. The severity is critical. This type is not checked live: LeakWatch does not send any request to Okta with the token it found.
LeakWatch detects this format but does not check it live: it can tell you the key is exposed, not whether it still works. Assume it does until you have revoked it.
FAQ
Does a revoked token still work?
No. Once revoked, the value is rejected on the next request. Deploy the replacement first, so your automation keeps running.
Does the token keep the admin's permissions after the admin leaves?
Check it. A token acts with the permissions of the account that created it, so a token from a former administrator can carry the power that person had. Revoke it, and move the automation to a service account.
The System Log shows nothing unusual. Am I safe?
That is good news, but the log only shows what was recorded, and a narrow date filter can hide activity. Revoke the token anyway, and keep the filter wide enough to cover the whole exposure window.