Cloud-based repository hosting service GitHub said it took the step of replacing its RSA SSH host key used to secure Git operations “out of an abundance of caution” after it was briefly exposed in a public repository.
The activity, which was carried out at 05:00 UTC on March 24, 2023, is said to have been undertaken as a measure to prevent any bad actor from impersonating the service or eavesdropping on users’ operations over SSH.
“This key does not grant access to GitHub’s infrastructure or customer data,” Mike Hanley, chief security officer and SVP of engineering at GitHub, said in a post. “This change only impacts Git operations over SSH using RSA.”
