Data Leaks: Why Are We So Stupid About Free Online Services?

JSON Code 'Beautifiers' Expose Sensitive Data From Banks, Government Agencies Mathew J. Schwartz (euroinfosec) • November 25, 2025

It's hard not to be a sucker for free stuff. Who doesn't want something for nothing? Only that's not how it actually works: There's always a cost.

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Developers using online tools to "beautify" their JavaScript Object Notation have been pasting into them everything from authentication keys for code repositories, to Active Directory and database credentials, to personally identifiable information for banking customers, says a Tuesday report from threat intelligence firm watchTowr.

That's based on the firm taking a close look at two free tools that top results for a search on "JSON beautify": JSONFormatter and CodeBeautify.

JSON is the widely used, lightweight format designed for creating well-organized, easy to access data in a human-readable ...