False positive
A finding that is not real: the check matched something that is not the problem it looks for.
Every automated check trades misses against false alarms. Loosen a pattern and it catches more real problems and more innocent text; tighten it and the reverse. The only way to know where a check sits is to read what it matched, one match at a time, and count.
On this site that count is published beside the check. When every credential note in the catalogue was read by hand, most turned out to be test values, documentation examples and the rules of other secret scanners.
A check that cries wolf gets switched off, and then it protects nobody. A false accusation printed beside a maker's work is also simply wrong.
Measuring a check by how much it finds. A check that finds a lot and is mostly wrong is worse than one that finds little and is always right.
Related terms
See False positive on a real listing
Every term here shows up in the catalogue next to a real result, with the findings published and the limits stated. Free to browse, no account needed.
Open the catalogue