Critical Google API Key Vulnerability: Protect Your Data from Unauthorized Access 🔑

A Google API key vulnerability arises when an API key is exposed publicly (e.g., in code repositories or client-side scripts), allowing unauthorized users to misuse it.<br /><br />Impact:<br /><br />Unauthorized API Usage: Attackers can access and exploit APIs at the owner's expense.<br />Quota Exhaustion: Legitimate users are blocked as the usage quota is exceeded.<br />Data Exposure: Access to sensitive data through APIs like Maps, Drive, or Cloud services.<br />Financial Loss: Accrued costs from malicious or excessive API calls.<br />Mitigation: Restrict API keys to specific IPs, referrers, or services, and never expose them in public repositories.