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Security audit

karpathy-principles

Security checks for vulnerabilities and agentic risk

Overview

This is a markdown-only coding-discipline guide that encourages clarification, small edits, and verification, with no hidden execution, persistence, or data access found.

Expect this skill to add planning, assumptions, TodoWrite checklist items, and verification criteria around coding tasks. If you want it only on explicit request, narrow the broad triggers before installing; treat the referenced external plugin and related skills as separate items to review.

Vulnerability Patterns
  • Skill Instruction HijackingAlters the agent's session goals or safety constraints when the skill loads
  • Agent Memory PoisoningWrites attacker-controlled rules into memory that affect later sessions
  • Remote Payload Retrieval and ExecutionFetches external code whose behavior can change after review
  • Embedded Malicious CodeShips malicious scripts inside the skill and executes them locally
  • Unauthorized Access and Privilege EscalationObtains permissions beyond the task's legitimate needs
Vulnerability Patterns
  • Excessive AgencyUnrestricted Tool Access, Autonomous Decision Making, Scope Creep
  • Trigger AbuseOverly Broad Trigger, Shadow Command Trigger, Keyword Baiting Trigger
  • Prompt InjectionInstruction Override, Hidden Instructions, Exfiltration Commands
  • Data ExfiltrationExternal Transmission, Env Variable Harvesting, File System Enumeration
  • Privilege EscalationExcessive Permissions, Sudo/Root Execution, Credential Access
Findings (4)

Vague Triggers

Medium
Category
Not specified by scanner
Confidence
92% confidence
Finding

The trigger "starting implementation to verify the approach" is a broad natural-language phrase that could appear in ordinary discussion rather than as an intentional skill invocation. The file does not provide tighter activation constraints or negative examples to distinguish deliberate invocation from incidental mention.

Content

No source excerpt is available for this finding.

Autonomous Decision Making

Medium
Category
Excessive Agency
Confidence
75% confidence
Finding

Skill enables autonomous high-impact decisions without human-in-the-loop verification. Critical operations (destructive commands, financial transactions, data deletion) should require explicit user confirmation.

Content

Scanner excerpt · SKILL.md (reported line 24)May include surrounding context.

md
> The models make wrong assumptions on your behalf and
> just run along with them without checking. They don't
> manage their confusion, don't seek clarifications,
> don't surface inconsistencies, don't present
> tradeoffs, don't push back when they should.

Autonomous Decision Making

Medium
Category
Excessive Agency
Confidence
75% confidence
Finding

Skill enables autonomous high-impact decisions without human-in-the-loop verification. Critical operations (destructive commands, financial transactions, data deletion) should require explicit user confirmation.

Content

Scanner excerpt · modules/anti-patterns.md (reported line 245)May include surrounding context.

text

This example illustrates AP-8 (Multi-Step Plan
Without Verification Gates): each step gets its own
reformulation, its own success signal, its own test.

## Why This Works

Autonomous Decision Making

Medium
Category
Excessive Agency
Confidence
75% confidence
Finding

Skill enables autonomous high-impact decisions without human-in-the-loop verification. Critical operations (destructive commands, financial transactions, data deletion) should require explicit user confirmation.

Content

Scanner excerpt · modules/verifiable-goals.md (reported line 132)May include surrounding context.

text

This example illustrates AP-8 (Multi-Step Plan
Without Verification Gates): each step gets its own
reformulation, its own success signal, its own test.

## Why This Works

Static analysis

No suspicious patterns detected.