Keeping your account and data secure

Creating a strong password

Secure your GitHub Enterprise account with a strong and unique password using a password manager.

Updating your GitHub access credentials

GitHub Enterprise credentials include not only your password, but also the access tokens, SSH keys, and application API tokens you use to communicate with GitHub Enterprise. Should you have the need, you can reset all of these access credentials yourself.

Creating a personal access token for the command line

You can create a personal access token and use it in place of a password when performing Git operations over HTTPS with Git on the command line or the API.

Reviewing your SSH keys

To keep your credentials secure, you should regularly audit your SSH keys, deploy keys, and review authorized applications that access your GitHub Enterprise account.

Reviewing your deploy keys

You should review deploy keys to ensure that there aren't any unauthorized (or possibly compromised) keys. You can also approve existing deploy keys that are valid.

Authorizing OAuth Apps

You can connect your GitHub Enterprise identity to third-party applications using OAuth. When authorizing an OAuth App, you should ensure you trust the application, review who it's developed by, and review the kinds of information the application wants to access.

Reviewing your authorized integrations

You can review your authorized integrations to audit the access that each integration has to your account and data.

Connecting with third-party applications

You can connect your GitHub Enterprise identity to third-party applications using OAuth. When authorizing one of these applications, you should ensure you trust the application, review who it's developed by, and review the kinds of information the application wants to access.

Reviewing your authorized applications (OAuth)

You should review your authorized applications to verify that no new applications with expansive permissions are authorized, such as those that have access to your private repositories.

Reviewing your security log

You can review your account's security log to better understand the actions you've performed in the last 90 days.

Removing sensitive data from a repository

If you commit sensitive data, such as a password or SSH key into a Git repository, you can remove it from the history. To entirely remove unwanted files from a repository's history you can use either the git filter-branch command or the BFG Repo-Cleaner open source tool.

Sudo mode

GitHub Enterprise asks you for your password before you can modify your email address, authorize third-party applications, or add new public keys, or initiate other sudo-protected actions.

Preventing unauthorized access

You may be alerted to a security incident in the media, such as the discovery of the Heartbleed bug, or your computer could be stolen while you're signed in to your GitHub Enterprise Server instance. In such cases, changing your password prevents any unintended future access to your account and projects.