T09 · Insecure Skill Coding Practices
- Location
scripts/search.sh:10- Finding
Bearer API Key Exposed Through Process Command-Line Arguments
- Content
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Vulnerability Details
File Location:
scripts/search.sh, lines 10–13
Vulnerability Type: Sensitive credential exposure through process arguments
Risk Level: Mediumbash curl -s -X POST "https://www.clawec.com/api/aigc/tool/amazon_product_search" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -H "Authorization: Bearer $API_KEY" \ -d "$PAYLOAD"Technical Analysis
The script expands
CLAWEC_API_KEYdirectly into curl'sAuthorizationcommand-line argument. Consequently, the resulting bearer token may be present in curl's process argument vector while the request is running.On systems where process metadata is visible to other users, containers, monitoring agents, or diagnostic tools, the expanded header may be recovered through mechanisms such as
psor/proc/<pid>/cmdline. Quoting the variable prevents shell word splitting but does not prevent the expanded secret from entering the child process's argument vector.Exploitation requires local process-inspection capability and an opportunity to inspect the short-lived curl process. The exposure is therefore environment-dependent, but it can become practical when requests are slow, repeatedly invoked, or observed through continuous process monitoring.
Attack Path
- A victim configures a valid
CLAWEC_API_KEYand invokesscripts/search.sh. - The shell expands
$API_KEYinto the curl-Hargument. - While curl is running, a local user or monitoring process with permission to inspect the victim's process metadata reads its argument vector.
- The observer extracts the bearer token from the
Authorization: Bearer ...argument. - The observer reuses the token to submit requests to the ClawEC API under the victim's identity until the token expires or is revoked.
Impact Assessment
A successful attacker obtains the confidentiality and effective privileges of the exposed ClawEC API key. The attacker may authenticate to Cl ...[truncated 386 chars]
- A victim configures a valid
- Remediation
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Remediation Suggestions
Avoid placing bearer tokens directly in command-line arguments.
- Supply the sensitive header through a permission-restricted curl configuration file rather than through
-Hon the command line. - Create any temporary configuration using a restrictive
umask, such as077, and remove it reliably with anEXITtrap. - Prefer an in-memory or file-descriptor-based configuration mechanism where supported, so the credential is not persisted longer than necessary.
- Ensure temporary files are created with collision-resistant tools such as
mktemp; do not use predictable paths. - Preserve the existing practice of reading the key from
CLAWEC_API_KEYrather than hardcoding it. - Rotate the API key if process monitoring or logs may already have captured command-line arguments.
- Restrict the API key to the minimum required endpoints and quota, and configure operating-system process visibility controls where appropriate.
- Supply the sensitive header through a permission-restricted curl configuration file rather than through