AWS Secret Access Key Regex for Java

What this pattern does

This page provides a comprehensive, battle-tested regular expression for matching aws secret access key, ported and verified for Java. In security-sensitive code, using an unverified regex can open the door to both false positives and denial-of-service attacks. The snippet below is ready to drop into your Java project — whether you're validating in a Spring Boot controller, a Jakarta EE service, or a standalone utility class.

Java Implementation

// AWS Secret Access Key
// ReDoS-safe | RegexVault — Security > API Keys & Tokens

import java.util.regex.Pattern;

public class AwsSecretAccessKeyValidator {
    private static final Pattern PATTERN =
        Pattern.compile("(?:aws_secret_access_key|AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY|secret.?access.?key)(?:[\\s=:\"\']+)([A-Za-z0-9/+=]{40})(?:[\"\'\\s]|$)");

    public static boolean validate(String input) {
        return PATTERN.matcher(input).matches();
    }

    // Example
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        System.out.println(validate("aws_secret_access_key = wJalrXUtnFEMI/K7MDENG/bPxRfiCYEXAMPLEKEY")); // true
    }
}

Test Cases

When to use this pattern

This pattern is drawn from the Security > API Keys & Tokens category and carries a ReDoS-safe certification. That matters for Java developers because critical in Java applications since the JVM regex engine uses backtracking and is susceptible to ReDoS without careful pattern design. RegexVault audits patterns against known backtracking attack vectors, ensuring you have the necessary context before using this regex in a high-stakes production environment.

Common Pitfalls

Technical Notes

Context-aware pattern — requires the key name label to be present (common in config files, environment variables, and .env files). The secret itself is 40 base64 characters. Bare 40-char base64 strings without the label context are too broad to match reliably.