Insufficiently protected credentials are a primary target for attackers. This happens when developers rely on weak or outdated methods, such as sending passwords in plain text over unencrypted connections (HTTP), storing them in easily accessible logs or public code repositories, or using weak encryption that can be easily reversed. Attackers exploit these flaws using simple network sniffing, searching public code commits, or accessing poorly secured databases to harvest credentials and gain unauthorized access. To prevent this, always enforce strong, modern security practices. This means using TLS (HTTPS) for all credential transmission, never logging or caching passwords, and employing robust, salted hashing algorithms (like Argon2 or bcrypt) for storage. Additionally, implement secure credential management solutions, such as secrets managers or environment variables, to keep keys out of your application code entirely. Regular security audits and automated scanning can help catch these dangerous oversights before they are exploited.