---
title: Configure exposed credentials checks via API · Cloudflare Web Application Firewall (WAF) docs
description: Configure exposed credentials checks using the Rulesets API. You can do the following:
lastUpdated: 2025-04-16T16:28:57.000Z
source_url:
  html: https://a74404c8.preview.developers.cloudflare.com/waf/managed-rules/check-for-exposed-credentials/configure-api/index.md
  md: https://a74404c8.preview.developers.cloudflare.com/waf/managed-rules/check-for-exposed-credentials/configure-api/
---

Configure exposed credentials checks using the [Rulesets API](https://developers.cloudflare.com/ruleset-engine/rulesets-api/). You can do the following:

* [Deploy the Cloudflare Exposed Credentials Check Managed Ruleset](https://developers.cloudflare.com/waf/managed-rules/reference/exposed-credentials-check/#configure-via-api).
* [Create custom rules that check for exposed credentials](#create-a-custom-rule-checking-for-exposed-credentials).

If you are using Terraform, refer to [Configure using Terraform](https://developers.cloudflare.com/waf/managed-rules/check-for-exposed-credentials/configure-terraform/).

Recommendation: Use leaked credentials detection instead

Cloudflare recommends that you use [leaked credentials detection](https://developers.cloudflare.com/waf/detections/leaked-credentials/) instead of Cloudflare Exposed Credentials Check, which refers to a previous implementation.\
For more information on upgrading your current Exposed Credentials Check configuration, refer to the [upgrade guide](https://developers.cloudflare.com/waf/managed-rules/check-for-exposed-credentials/upgrade-to-leaked-credentials-detection/).

## Create a custom rule checking for exposed credentials

Note

This feature requires [account-level WAF configuration](https://developers.cloudflare.com/waf/account/), which is available to Enterprise customers with a paid add-on.

You can create rules that check for exposed credentials using the [Rulesets API](https://developers.cloudflare.com/ruleset-engine/rulesets-api/). Include these rules in a custom ruleset, which you must create at the account level, and then deploy the custom ruleset to a phase.

A rule checking for exposed credentials has a match when both the rule expression and the result from the exposed credentials check are true.

To check for exposed credentials in a custom rule, include the `exposed_credential_check` object in the rule definition. This object must have the following properties:

* `username_expression` — Expression that selects the user ID used in the credentials check. This property can have up to 1024 characters.
* `password_expression` — Expression that selects the password used in the credentials check. This property can have up to 1024 characters.

Note

These properties have additional requirements:

* Each expression must evaluate to a string.
* You can only use the [`upper()`](https://developers.cloudflare.com/ruleset-engine/rules-language/functions/#upper), [`lower()`](https://developers.cloudflare.com/ruleset-engine/rules-language/functions/#lower), [`url_decode()`](https://developers.cloudflare.com/ruleset-engine/rules-language/functions/#url_decode), and [`lookup_json_string()`](https://developers.cloudflare.com/ruleset-engine/rules-language/functions/#lookup_json_string) functions, and you cannot nest these functions.

You can use the `exposed_credential_check` object in rules with one of the following actions: `rewrite`, `log`, `block`, `challenge`, or `js_challenge`. Cloudflare recommends that you only use exposed credentials checks with the following actions: `rewrite` and `log`.

To create and deploy a custom ruleset, follow the workflow described in [Work with custom rulesets](https://developers.cloudflare.com/ruleset-engine/custom-rulesets/).

### Example A

This `POST` request example creates a new custom ruleset with a rule that checks for exposed credentials. The rule has a match if both the rule expression and the `exposed_credential_check` result are `true`. When there is a match, the rule will log the request with exposed credentials in the Cloudflare logs.

```bash
curl "https://api.cloudflare.com/client/v4/accounts/$ACCOUNT_ID/rulesets" \
  --request POST \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer $CLOUDFLARE_API_TOKEN" \
  --json '{
    "name": "Custom Ruleset A",
    "kind": "custom",
    "description": "This ruleset includes a rule checking for exposed credentials.",
    "rules": [
        {
            "action": "log",
            "description": "Exposed credentials check on login.php page",
            "expression": "http.request.method == \"POST\" && http.request.uri == \"/login.php\"",
            "exposed_credential_check": {
                "username_expression": "url_decode(http.request.body.form[\"username\"][0])",
                "password_expression": "url_decode(http.request.body.form[\"password\"][0])"
            }
        }
    ],
    "phase": "http_request_firewall_custom"
  }'
```

The response returns the created ruleset. Note the presence of the `exposed_credential_check` object on the rule definition.

```json
{
  "result": {
    "id": "<CUSTOM_RULESET_ID>",
    "name": "Custom Ruleset A",
    "description": "This ruleset includes a rule checking for exposed credentials.",
    "kind": "custom",
    "version": "1",
    "rules": [
      {
        "id": "<CUSTOM_RULE_ID>",
        "version": "1",
        "action": "log",
        "description": "Exposed credentials check on login.php page",
        "expression": "http.request.method == \"POST\" && http.request.uri == \"/login.php\"",
        "exposed_credential_check": {
          "username_expression": "url_decode(http.request.body.form[\"username\"][0])",
          "password_expression": "url_decode(http.request.body.form[\"password\"][0])"
        },
        "last_updated": "2021-03-19T10:48:04.057775Z",
        "ref": "<CUSTOM_RULE_REF>",
        "enabled": true
      }
    ],
    "last_updated": "2021-03-19T10:48:04.057775Z",
    "phase": "http_request_firewall_custom"
  },
  "success": true,
  "errors": [],
  "messages": []
}
```

The example uses the `url_decode()` function because fields in the request body (available in `http.request.body.form`) are URL-encoded when the content type is `application/x-www-form-urlencoded`.

After creating the custom ruleset, deploy it to a phase so that it executes. You will need the ruleset ID to deploy the custom ruleset. For more information, refer to [Deploy a custom ruleset](https://developers.cloudflare.com/ruleset-engine/custom-rulesets/deploy-custom-ruleset/).

### Example B

This `POST` request example creates a new custom ruleset with a rule that checks for exposed credentials in JSON responses. The rule has a match if both the rule expression and the `exposed_credential_check` result are `true`. When there is a match, the rule will add an `Exposed-Credential-Check` HTTP header to the request with value `1`.

```bash
curl "https://api.cloudflare.com/client/v4/accounts/$ACCOUNT_ID/rulesets" \
  --request POST \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer $CLOUDFLARE_API_TOKEN" \
  --json '{
    "name": "Custom Ruleset B",
    "kind": "custom",
    "description": "This ruleset includes a rule checking for exposed credentials.",
    "rules": [
        {
            "action": "rewrite",
            "action_parameters": {
                "headers": {
                    "Exposed-Credential-Check": {
                        "operation": "set",
                        "value": "1"
                    }
                }
            },
            "description": "Exposed credentials check on login endpoint with JSON body",
            "expression": "http.request.method == \"POST\" && http.request.uri == \"/login.php\" && any(http.request.headers[\"content-type\"][*] == \"application/json\")",
            "exposed_credential_check": {
                "username_expression": "lookup_json_string(http.request.body.raw, \"username\")",
                "password_expression": "lookup_json_string(http.request.body.raw, \"password\")"
            }
        }
    ],
    "phase": "http_request_firewall_custom"
  }'
```

The response returns the created ruleset. Note the presence of the following elements in the rule definition:

* The `rewrite` action.
* The `action_parameters` object configuring the HTTP header added to requests with exposed credentials.
* The `exposed_credential_check` object.

```json
{
  "result": {
    "id": "<CUSTOM_RULESET_ID>",
    "name": "Custom Ruleset B",
    "description": "This ruleset includes a rule checking for exposed credentials.",
    "kind": "custom",
    "version": "1",
    "rules": [
      {
        "id": "<CUSTOM_RULE_ID>",
        "version": "1",
        "action": "rewrite",
        "action_parameters": {
          "headers": {
            "Exposed-Credential-Check": {
              "operation": "set",
              "value": "1"
            }
          }
        },
        "description": "Exposed credentials check on login endpoint with JSON body",
        "expression": "http.request.method == \"POST\" && http.request.uri == \"/login.php\" && any(http.request.headers[\"content-type\"][*] == \"application/json\")",
        "exposed_credential_check": {
          "username_expression": "lookup_json_string(http.request.body.raw, \"username\")",
          "password_expression": "lookup_json_string(http.request.body.raw, \"password\")"
        },
        "last_updated": "2022-03-19T12:48:04.057775Z",
        "ref": "<CUSTOM_RULE_REF>",
        "enabled": true
      }
    ],
    "last_updated": "2022-03-19T12:48:04.057775Z",
    "phase": "http_request_firewall_custom"
  },
  "success": true,
  "errors": [],
  "messages": []
}
```

After creating the custom ruleset, deploy it to a phase so that it executes. You will need the ruleset ID to deploy the custom ruleset. For more information, refer to [Deploy a custom ruleset](https://developers.cloudflare.com/ruleset-engine/custom-rulesets/deploy-custom-ruleset/).
