Snowflake API Keys Prevention

Why It Matters

The core goal is to proactively secure API keys, secrets, and tokens within your Snowflake environment before they become exposed, preventing unauthorized access to external services and data breaches. Implementing robust secrets management in Snowflake is critical for organizations subject to PCI-DSS, as it helps you maintain secure handling of sensitive authentication credentials—mitigating the risk of compromised API endpoints and unauthorized system access.

Primary Risk: Insecure APIs leading to unauthorized access

Relevant Regulation: PCI-DSS Payment Security Standard

A comprehensive prevention strategy delivers proactive security, ensuring sensitive credentials are properly managed and never exposed through misconfigured access controls or hardcoded values.

Prerequisites

Permissions & Roles

Snowflake SECURITYADMIN or ACCOUNTADMIN role
CREATE SECRET privilege
OWNERSHIP or USAGE on relevant schemas

External Tools

Snowflake CLI or SnowSQL
Cyera DSPM account
External key management system (optional)

Prior Setup

Snowflake account with Enterprise edition
Network policies configured
Multi-factor authentication enabled
Role-based access control established

Introducing Cyera

Cyera is a modern Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) platform that discovers, classifies, and continuously monitors your sensitive data across cloud services. Using advanced AI and natural language processing (NLP) techniques, Cyera automatically identifies hardcoded API keys, secrets, and tokens in your Snowflake environment, ensuring these critical credentials are properly managed and never exposed through misconfigured access controls or insecure storage practices.

Step-by-Step Guide

Implement Snowflake Secrets Management

Create secure secret objects using Snowflake's native secrets management functionality to store API keys and tokens centrally.

CREATE SECRET my_api_secret
TYPE = PASSWORD
VALUE = 'your-api-key-value';

Configure access controls and policies

Set up role-based access controls to limit who can create, read, or modify secrets. Implement network policies to restrict access to Snowflake from approved locations only.

GRANT USAGE ON SECRET my_api_secret TO ROLE api_user_role;

Enable continuous monitoring with Cyera

In the Cyera portal, configure Snowflake integration to continuously scan for exposed secrets, hardcoded credentials, and misconfigured access policies. Set up automated alerts for any detected API key exposures.

Implement secure coding practices

Replace all hardcoded API keys in stored procedures and UDFs with secure secret references. Establish code review processes to prevent future exposure of credentials in development.

-- Use secret reference instead of hardcoded key
SELECT * FROM TABLE(external_api_call(SYSTEM$SECRET_VALUE('my_api_secret')));

Architecture & Workflow

Snowflake Secrets Store

Centralized, encrypted storage for API keys and tokens

Access Control Layer

Role-based permissions and network policies

Cyera AI Scanner

Continuous monitoring for exposed credentials

Alert & Response

Automated notifications and remediation workflows

Prevention Flow Summary

Store Secrets → Apply Access Controls → Monitor Usage → Alert on Exposure

Best Practices & Tips

Secret Lifecycle Management

Rotate API keys and tokens regularly
Implement automatic expiration policies
Audit secret usage and access patterns

Access Control Best Practices

Follow principle of least privilege
Use service-specific roles for API access
Enable multi-factor authentication

Common Pitfalls

Hardcoding secrets in stored procedures
Overly permissive secret access grants
Forgetting to rotate expired credentials

References & Further Reading

Next Steps

🔍 Detect: Scan for exposed API keys in your environment 🔧 Fix: Remediate any discovered credential exposures