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Code RoomSecureCompare returns boolean not error
HardPrep Room Coding #3996

SecureCompare returns boolean not error

Vibe & agenticSecuritySenior–Staff~18 min

An AI assistant wrote this Go function to compare a user-supplied API key against the expected one, using a helper it said was 'the safe way to compare secrets.' It compiles and the import resolves. Review it for an auth path.

Implement
constant_time_key_match(provided: str, expected: str) → int
Examples
in["sk_live_abc123","sk_live_abc123"]out1
in["sk_live_abc124","sk_live_abc123"]out0
in["sk","sk_live_abc123"]out0
What a strong answer looks like

Treat the AI’s output as a draft to verify, not an answer to trust. Name the specific flaw and the input that triggers it, say how you’d catch it (tests, edge cases, reading critically), and how you’d re-prompt or decompose to get it right.

0:00 of about 18 min

Vibe & agentic: describe the solution in plain language (or narrate it) and the coach grades your approach.

Which questions mattered is sealed until you submit. Telling you now would just be handing over the edge cases.