Don't Paste Real Passwords Into AI Code

End-of-lesson check

15 questions · take it digitally for instant feedback at tendril.neural-forge.io/learn/quiz/end-explorers-ai-coding-AI-and-the-no-secrets-in-code-r10a5

1. Which of these is the BEST example of a safe placeholder to use in code?

   1. 'MomBirthday2022!'
   2. 'password123'
   3. 'my-real-password-2024'
   4. 'YOUR_API_KEY_HERE'

2. Your friend asks you to help them write code for a login page. They want to test it but say you can just use their real game password. What should you do?

   1. Use their real password since they said it was okay
   2. Use a placeholder like 'TEST_PASSWORD_HERE' instead
   3. Use the word 'test' as the password
   4. Ask them to change their password first, then use it

3. What is an API key?

   1. A special password that lets an app talk to another service
   2. A type of computer virus
   3. A button on the keyboard
   4. A way to make code run faster

4. You see this line in tutorial code: api_key = 'YOUR_KEY_HERE'. What does this mean?

   1. The code will not work at all
   2. The tutorial forgot to include a real key
   3. You should type your actual API key in that spot
   4. This is a placeholder that needs to be replaced with a real key before using the code

5. What information should you NEVER paste into an AI coding assistant?

   1. Questions about how to fix bugs
   2. Your real passwords, API keys, or family information
   3. Comments explaining what your code does
   4. Requests for code examples

6. You wrote some code with a placeholder and want to share it with a classmate. Is it safe to share?

   1. Only share if you remove the placeholder lines
   2. No, you should never share code with anyone
   3. Yes, but you should check with your teacher first
   4. Yes, because placeholders are not real secrets

7. What makes a password or key a 'secret' that needs to be protected?

   1. It was given to you by your parents
   2. It uses special symbols like @ and #
   3. It gives access to your accounts or services
   4. It is very long and hard to guess

8. You found some old code you wrote months ago. It has your real password in it! What should you do?

   1. Change that password immediately since it may have been saved
   2. Share it with friends so they can use it
   3. Leave it there - it's old code so it doesn't matter
   4. Post it online so others can learn from it

9. When you see 'INSERT_API_KEY_HERE' in code, what are you supposed to do?

   1. Replace it with your own API key when you get one
   2. Ask an adult to paste their real key
   3. Leave it exactly as written
   4. Delete that line of code

10. Why do professional developers always use placeholders in their example code?

    1. Because placeholders make the code run faster
    2. Because real passwords are too long to type
    3. Because they don't know the real passwords
    4. To show others how to safely use the code without sharing secrets

11. What could happen if you paste a real bank password into an AI?

    1. Nothing bad will happen
    2. The AI will automatically protect it
    3. The AI could save it and someone might find it later
    4. The AI will help you with your banking

12. Which statement about using AI for coding is correct?

    1. You should always use placeholders and keep real secrets to yourself
    2. AI can keep your secrets safer than you can
    3. You can safely paste any password if you trust the AI
    4. It's okay to paste secrets as long as you delete them afterward

13. You want to test code that needs an API key, but you don't have one yet. What should you do?

    1. Use a friend's API key temporarily
    2. Use a placeholder like 'YOUR_API_KEY_HERE' and test the code structure
    3. Use your school login password instead
    4. Ask a stranger online for their key

14. Your little sibling's name appears in a program you want help with. Should you paste it into AI?

    1. Only if it's your real name
    2. Yes, if you don't say who it is
    3. Yes, it's just a name
    4. No, personal family information should stay private

15. What's the safest way to get help with code that needs a password or key?

    1. Let the AI guess what your key might be
    2. Paste your real one and ask if it's correct
    3. Share your password with the AI so it understands better
    4. Ask how the code works without including a real key