Responding quickly when you suspect an OKX API key has leaked
API key leaks rarely announce themselves. More often you notice something small: a secret accidentally committed to a code repository, an email from a tool provider about a security incident, or trades in your history that you do not remember placing. In each case the right response is the same: act first, investigate second. A revoked key cannot be used, while a key you are still thinking about can. This guide is written as an incident sequence you can follow under pressure. It assumes you have access to your OKX account and explains how to cut off the exposed key, review what happened, restore anything you need safely and fix the habit or system that allowed the leak. Keep it somewhere you can find it before you ever need it.
Revoke first, ask questions afterwards
Sign in to OKX through the official app or website and open the API management page. Delete the key you suspect, and if you are unsure which one leaked, delete every key connected to the affected tool or machine. Deleting is quick and reversible in the sense that you can create a new key later; leaving an exposed key active is not. While you are signed in, change your account password if there is any chance the leak extended beyond the key, and confirm your second factor is still the one you set up.
Review account activity carefully
Go through recent order history, trade history and transfers, looking for anything you did not initiate, such as unfamiliar pairs, sudden large orders or transfers between accounts. Check whether new API keys, withdrawal addresses or sub-accounts were created. Note timestamps for anything suspicious, along with order or transaction IDs. If you find unauthorised activity, contact OKX support through the official channel with a clear timeline. Do not accept help from anyone who reaches out unsolicited after you mention the problem in public.
Find and close the source of the leak
Work out how the secret was exposed. If it was committed to a repository, remember that removing it from the latest version does not erase it from history, which is why revoking was the first step. If a tool provider was breached, decide whether you trust them enough to reconnect. If the secret sat in a plain text file, a chat message or a screenshot, change that habit. Keys belong in a password manager or a proper secrets store, loaded into software at runtime rather than written into code.
Reconnect with tighter settings
If you still need the integration, create a fresh key with the narrowest permissions possible, usually read-only or read and trade, never withdrawal unless genuinely essential. Bind it to fixed IP addresses where the tool allows it, and consider placing the integration in a sub-account with limited funds. Give the key a clear name and creation date. Finally, add a monthly reminder to review all active keys, so that a forgotten key from an old experiment does not become the next incident.
Risk boundary: OKX Independent Review
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Scenario checkpoint
- Delete the suspected API key immediately from the OKX API management page before investigating further.
- Review orders, trades, transfers, new keys and new withdrawal addresses for any activity you did not initiate.
- Report unauthorised activity through official OKX support with timestamps and order or transaction IDs.
- Move API secrets out of code, chats and text files into a password manager or proper secrets store.
- Recreate any needed key with minimal permissions, IP binding and a clear name and creation date.