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Copy-ready Python snippets by topic and difficulty — short, focused, and runnable in the browser editor.
How to Write an IP Block List to hosts.deny in Python
This Python script validates a list of IP addresses and CIDR ranges, then writes them to a hosts.deny file to block connections at the TCP wrapper level.
from ipaddress import ip_network
def write_hosts_deny(ip_list, output_file="hosts.deny"):
with open(output_file, "w") as f:
for ip in ip_list:
try:
ip_network(ip)
f.write(f"ALL: {ip}\n")
except ValueError:
continue
print(f"Written…
Restrict Secrets File Permissions with the chmod Script in Python
This script restricts a secrets file to 0600 permissions, rotates it to a dated backup, and creates a fresh protected file for secure automation workflows.
import os
import sys
import stat
from pathlib import Path
def restrict_secrets_file(filepath: str) -> None:
"""Set restrictive permissions (0600) on a secrets file."""
path = Path(filepath).expanduser()
if not path.is_file():
raise FileNotFoundError(f"Secrets file not found: {path}")
…
Rotate API keys in Python by updating an .env template
Replace an old API key with a new one inside an .env template file, with a guard for missing keys.
import json
from pathlib import Path
def rotate_api_keys(env_template_path: Path, old_key: str, new_key: str) -> None:
"""Replace an old API key with a new one in an .env template file."""
content = env_template_path.read_text()
if old_key not in content:
print(f"Error: '{old_key}' not found in {e…
Git Signing in Python
Sign and verify Git commits with a mock GPG implementation using HMAC and SHA-256.
import hashlib
import hmac
class GPGMock:
def __init__(self, secret_key):
self.secret_key = secret_key.encode()
def sign_commit(self, commit_message):
"""Mock GPG signing by computing an HMAC of the commit message."""
signature = hmac.new(self.secret_key, commit_message.encode(), hash…
How to Filter Git History to Remove Secret File Entries in Python
A pure-Python mock that filters a repository's history to drop any commit that touched a secret file, so you can plan a cleanup before rewriting Git history.
from pathlib import Path
import json
def filter_history(history, secret_path):
"""Remove entries that touch the secret file."""
return [entry for entry in history if secret_path not in entry["files"]]
if __name__ == "__main__":
repo_history = [
{"commit": "a1b2c3", "message": "Add app", "files": …
How to detect secrets in git history with Python
Scan a git history export file for common secret patterns using regex and Python.
import re
from pathlib import Path
def scan_history_for_secrets(history_file: str) -> list:
"""Scan a git history export for potential secrets using regex patterns."""
patterns = {
"AWS Access Key": r"AKIA[0-9A-Z]{16}",
"GitHub Token": r"gh[pousr]_[0-9A-Za-z]{36,255}",
"Private Key": …
Python Script to Rotate a Leaked API Key
A checklist-driven Python script that scans a codebase for a leaked API key, replaces it with a new one, and prints a step-by-step rotation checklist.
#!/usr/bin/env python3
"""Checklist for rotating a leaked API key across a codebase."""
import re
from pathlib import Path
CHECKLIST = [
"Identify all files containing the leaked key",
"Generate a new key with sufficient entropy",
"Update the secret storage/CI environment variables",
"Replace the ol…
Verify Git tag signatures with HMAC in Python
Create and verify deterministic HMAC-SHA256 signatures for git tags using the Python standard library.
import hashlib
import hmac
def sign_tag(tag: str, secret_key: str) -> str:
"""Create a deterministic HMAC signature for a tag."""
message = tag.encode("utf-8")
key = secret_key.encode("utf-8")
return hmac.new(key, message, hashlib.sha256).hexdigest()
def verify_signed_tag(tag: str, signature: str, …
How to Evaluate IAM Policy Allow vs Deny in Python
Evaluate an AWS-style IAM policy dict with explicit deny overriding allow and default deny.
import json
def evaluate_policy(action, resource, policy):
"""Evaluate an IAM-like policy dict.
Explicit deny wins over allow. Default is deny.
"""
for statement in policy.get("Statement", []):
effect = statement.get("Effect")
actions = statement.get("Action", [])
resources = …
How to Evaluate Mock NACL Rules in Python
Simulate numbered AWS Network ACL rule evaluation with HMAC integrity checks on request payloads.
import base64
import json
import hmac
import hashlib
def evaluate_mock_rule(rule_number, request_data, secret):
"""
Simulates evaluating an NACL-like numbered rule by:
1. Checking if the rule number exists in the mock policy.
2. Computing an HMAC over the request payload for integrity.
"""
# M…
How to Validate AWS Security Group Ingress Rules in Python
Validates AWS security group ingress rules (protocol, port ranges, CIDR, description) and returns a list of errors or OK.
from dataclasses import dataclass
from typing import List, Optional
@dataclass
class SecurityGroupRule:
protocol: str
port_range: tuple
cidr: str
description: str = ""
def validate_ingress_rule(rule: SecurityGroupRule) -> List[str]:
"""Validate a security group ingress rule against common AWS pat…
How to Mock OAuth2 Bearer Token Auth Middleware in Python
Create a simple OAuth2 bearer token authentication middleware that verifies signed tokens and enforces scope-based access control.
import hmac
import time
import base64
import json
from functools import wraps
VALID_TOKENS = {"test_token_123": {"user": "alice", "scope": "read:posts"}}
def generate_token(username: str) -> str:
payload = {"user": username, "iat": int(time.time())}
encoded = base64.urlsafe_b64encode(json.dumps(payload).enc…
How to Validate JWT Claims (exp, iss, aud) in Python
This code demonstrates how to decode and validate a JWT's essential claims—expiration (exp), issuer (iss), and audience (aud)—using the PyJWT library, returning clear error messages for common validation failures.
import jwt
from datetime import datetime, timezone, timedelta
SECRET = "mock-secret"
def validate_token(token, expected_iss, expected_aud):
try:
decoded = jwt.decode(
token,
SECRET,
algorithms=["HS256"],
options={"require": ["exp", "iss", "aud"]},
…
How to Validate a JWT Signature in Python with a Mock Secret
Validates a JWT's signature using a mock secret, decoding and handling expired or invalid tokens gracefully.
import jwt
import time
SECRET = "mock_secret_key_123"
def validate_token(token):
try:
payload = jwt.decode(token, SECRET, algorithms=["HS256"])
return f"Valid token. Payload: {payload}"
except jwt.ExpiredSignatureError:
return "Token expired"
except jwt.InvalidTokenError:
…
Verify Webhook HMAC Signatures in Python
Create and verify HMAC-SHA256 signatures for webhook payloads using Python's hmac module, protecting against tampering.
import hashlib
import hmac
import json
SECRET = b"super-secret-webhook-key"
def create_signature(payload: bytes) -> str:
return hmac.new(SECRET, payload, hashlib.sha256).hexdigest()
def verify_signature(payload: bytes, signature: str) -> bool:
expected = create_signature(payload)
return hmac.compare_dig…
How to Redact Secrets from Log Messages in Python
Build a lightweight RedactingFormatter class that replaces sensitive tokens like passwords and API keys with [REDACTED] before log messages are printed.
class RedactingFormatter:
def __init__(self, secrets):
self.secrets = secrets
def redact(self, message):
for secret in self.secrets:
message = message.replace(secret, "[REDACTED]")
return message
def format(self, record):
message = record["message"]
ret…
How to Handle mTLS Certificate Rotation in Python
Detect mTLS certificate file changes by tracking modification time and hot-reload the SSL context in a running service.
import ssl
import tempfile
import datetime
from pathlib import Path
class MTLSContext:
def __init__(self, cert_path, key_path, ca_path):
self.cert_path = Path(cert_path)
self.key_path = Path(key_path)
self.ca_path = Path(ca_path)
self.context = None
self.last_loaded_mtime …
How to Mock mTLS Between Services in Python
Simulate mutual TLS authentication between two services using Python's ssl module with self-signed certificates.
import ssl
import socket
import threading
import tempfile
from pathlib import Path
import subprocess
def create_test_cert(cert_path: Path, key_path: Path, common_name: str = "localhost"):
"""Generate a self-signed certificate using openssl."""
subprocess.run([
"openssl", "req", "-x509", "-newkey", "rs…
JWT Service-to-Service Authentication Mock in Python
Create and verify HS256 JWTs for service-to-service authentication without external libraries.
import hashlib
import hmac
import base64
import json
import time
class JWTMock:
"""Minimal JWT service-to-service mock using HS256."""
def __init__(self, secret):
self.secret = secret.encode()
@staticmethod
def _b64url_encode(data):
return base64.urlsafe_b64encode(data).rstr…
Zero Trust Service Auth Mock in Python
A simple HMAC-based token issuance and validation mock that enforces zero trust between microservices.
import hmac
import hashlib
import json
import time
class ZeroTrustAuth:
def __init__(self, secret_key):
self.secret_key = secret_key
self.service_tokens = {}
def issue_token(self, service_name, ttl=300):
payload = {
"service": service_name,
"issued_at": int(tim…
ACME LetsEncrypt Mock Challenge Server in Python
A minimal HTTP server that serves key authorizations for ACME/Let's Encrypt DNS-01 or HTTP-01 challenges during testing and validation.
from http.server import HTTPServer, BaseHTTPRequestHandler
import json
# In-memory store simulating the ACME challenge token -> key authorization pair
challenge_store = {
"token_example": "token_example.key_authorization"
}
class AcmeChallengeHandler(BaseHTTPRequestHandler):
def do_GET(self):
# Extra…
AES GCM encryption and decryption in Python
Encrypt and decrypt data with AES-256-GCM using the cryptography library, including nonce generation and authenticated roundtrip verification.
import os
from cryptography.hazmat.primitives.ciphers.aead import AESGCM
def aes_gcm_demo():
plaintext = b"confidential message"
key = AESGCM.generate_key(bit_length=256)
aesgcm = AESGCM(key)
nonce = os.urandom(12)
ciphertext = aesgcm.encrypt(nonce, plaintext, None)
decrypted = aesgcm.dec…
ECDH key agreement in Python with cryptography
Simulate ECDH key exchange between Alice and Bob, derive a shared secret, and generate a symmetric key with HKDF using the cryptography library.
from cryptography.hazmat.primitives.asymmetric import ec
from cryptography.hazmat.primitives import serialization, hashes
from cryptography.hazmat.primitives.kdf.hkdf import HKDF
def ecdh_mock():
# Alice generates her key pair
alice_private = ec.generate_private_key(ec.SECP256R1())
alice_public = alice_pr…
Enforce TLS 1.2 Minimum in Python
Create an SSL context with a minimum TLS version of 1.2 to enforce secure connections.
import ssl
def get_min_tls_version():
context = ssl.SSLContext(ssl.PROTOCOL_TLS_CLIENT)
context.minimum_version = ssl.TLSVersion.TLSv1_2
return context.minimum_version
if __name__ == "__main__":
min_version = get_min_tls_version()
print(f"Minimum TLS version set to: {min_version.name} (value: {mi…
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