Data Breaches & Vibe Coding: Why Your Reused Password is a Ticking Time Bomb
You're shipping apps fast with AI. But if you're reusing passwords across services, one breach at a random site could compromise your entire stack.
The Vibe Coder's Attack Surface
As a vibe coder, you're probably using a lot of services:
Each of these services has access to critical parts of your infrastructure. If an attacker gains access to just one, they could:
GitHub: Access all your code, including hardcoded secrets
Vercel: Deploy malicious code to your production site
Supabase: Download your entire database, including user data
Stripe: Access payment information, issue refunds
Domain registrar: Transfer your domain, intercept all traffic
How Credential Stuffing Works
When a site gets breached, attackers get a list of email/password combinations. They then try these credentials on other popular services. This is called "credential stuffing."
# Attacker's perspective:
1. Buy breach data: 1M email/password pairs for $50
2. Run automated tool against GitHub, Vercel, AWS
3. Successful logins: ~2-5% (20,000-50,000 accounts)
4. Filter for high-value targets (developers, startups)
5. Profit
The scary part: you don't need to be specifically targeted. Attackers run these automated attacks constantly against every major service. If your password was in any breach and you reused it, you're vulnerable.
Real-World Impact for Developers
Case: Stolen GitHub Access
Attacker uses breached credentials to access a developer's GitHub. They find AWS keys in old commits, spin up crypto miners, and the developer gets a $50,000 AWS bill.
Case: Vercel Account Takeover
Attacker gains access to Vercel account, adds a script to the production build that steals user credentials. The malicious code runs for weeks before detection.
Case: Supabase Data Theft
Attacker accesses Supabase dashboard, exports all user data including emails and hashed passwords. Users get phishing emails that appear to come from the app.
Check If You've Been Breached
The first step is knowing if your email has appeared in any data breaches. Use our free Data Breach Checker to find out instantly.
If your email appears in breaches (most people's do), don't panic—but do take action. The question is whether you've reused passwords from those breached services.
The Vibe Coder's Security Stack
Here's how to protect yourself without slowing down your shipping speed:
Use a Password Manager
1Password, Bitwarden, or even Apple Keychain. Generate a unique 20+ character password for every service. This completely eliminates credential stuffing risk.
Enable 2FA Everywhere
Use an authenticator app (not SMS) for all critical services. Even if your password is compromised, attackers can't get in without the second factor.
Use Hardware Keys for Critical Accounts
For GitHub, Google, and AWS, use a YubiKey or similar hardware security key. This is the gold standard—completely phishing-resistant.
Monitor for Breaches
Sign up for breach notifications at haveibeenpwned.com. When your email appears in a new breach, you'll be notified immediately so you can take action.
Protecting Your Users Too
As a vibe coder building apps with user accounts, you have a responsibility to protect your users from the same risks:
Enforce strong passwords: Minimum 12 characters, block common passwords
Offer 2FA: Supabase and Firebase both support this out of the box
Check passwords against breach databases: APIs like HIBP let you check if a password has been breached
Implement rate limiting: Prevent automated credential stuffing attacks against your login
The 5-Minute Security Upgrade
Right now, before you close this tab:
- Check if your email has been breached using our free tool
- If you don't have a password manager, download Bitwarden (free) or 1Password
- Change passwords for your top 5 critical services (GitHub, hosting, database, payments, domain)
- Enable 2FA on all of them
This takes less time than debugging a CSS issue, and it could save you from a catastrophic breach.
Have You Been Breached?
Check if your email appears in any known data breaches. Instant results, completely free.
Secure Your App Too
VAS scans your vibe-coded app for security vulnerabilities—exposed secrets, database misconfigurations, and more.