When APP_DEBUG=true is left on in a production or staging environment, detailed error pages can leak environment variables to any visitor.

To stay safe, follow these best practices derived from official Laravel deployment documentation :

If your root directory is web-accessible, attackers can download your .env file, which contains sensitive database and SMTP credentials.

Ensure your web server (Nginx or Apache) points only to the /public folder. The sensitive configuration files should remain one level above the web-accessible root.

If your site is hit, you might notice your Mailgun or other mail service account disabled due to high spam volume. Access logs may also show repeated attempts to fetch the .env file. 4 Essential Security Steps