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Security audit

tiktok-research

Security checks for vulnerabilities and agentic risk

Overview

This skill is a disclosed Crawlora wrapper for public TikTok research, with external API use and API-key handling that fit its stated purpose.

Install only if you are comfortable sending TikTok handles, IDs, keywords, filters, and your Crawlora API key to Crawlora. Keep the key in the environment, avoid confidential investigation terms or unnecessary personal data, and prefer bounded requests as the skill instructs.

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
  • Data ExfiltrationExternal Transmission, Env Variable Harvesting, File System Enumeration
  • Privilege EscalationExcessive Permissions, Sudo/Root Execution, Credential Access
  • MCP Least PrivilegeUnderdeclared Capability, Wildcard Permission, Missing Permission Declaration
  • MCP Tool PoisoningHidden Instructions, Unicode Deception, Parameter Description Injection
  • Prompt InjectionInstruction Override, Hidden Instructions, Exfiltration Commands
Findings (11)

Lp3

Medium
Category
MCP Least Privilege
Confidence
89% confidence
Finding
The skill instructs the user to run a shell helper script, but the manifest does not declare any tool scope or allowed-tools boundary. That mismatch weakens least-privilege controls because an agent or reviewer cannot tell from the manifest that shell execution is required, increasing the chance of unintended command execution in environments that auto-enable skill capabilities.

Description-Behavior Mismatch

Medium
Confidence
90% confidence
Finding
The manifest frames this skill around public TikTok profiles, videos, comments, hashtags, search, trending feeds, and Creative Center signals, and even directs users to a separate `tiktok-ad-research` skill for ad-only comparisons. However, the documentation here includes a substantial 'Top Ads intelligence' workflow with multiple ad-analysis endpoints and comparison guidance, expanding the skill beyond the manifest's described non-ad focus.

External Transmission

Medium
Category
Data Exfiltration
Content
Endpoints this skill uses, grouped by platform. Call them via `scripts/crawlora.sh` (see SKILL.md).

All paths are relative to the API base `https://api.crawlora.net/api/v1` and require the header `x-api-key: $CRAWLORA_API_KEY`. Path params like `{id}` are substituted into the URL; `GET` params go in the query string; `POST` params go in a JSON body.

**25 endpoints across 1 platform group(s).**
Confidence
91% confidence
Finding
This skill is explicitly designed to send user-supplied TikTok research queries and identifiers to an external third-party service at api.crawlora.net. External transmission is not inherently malicious, but it is security-relevant because prompts, handles, search terms, and identifiers may contain sensitive or proprietary investigation data, and the file provides no warning, minimization guidance, or trust boundary explanation.

Description-Behavior Mismatch

Medium
Confidence
97% confidence
Finding
The manifest says this skill is for public TikTok profiles, videos, comments, hashtags, search results, trending feeds, and Creative Center signals, and specifically says to use `tiktok-ad-research` for ad-only comparisons. This endpoint reference nevertheless exposes a substantial set of Top Ads endpoints for ad listing, details, analysis, recommendations, and suggestions, which goes beyond the stated scope and conflicts with the manifest's separation of responsibilities.

External Transmission

Medium
Category
Data Exfiltration
Content
#!/usr/bin/env bash
# Crawlora REST helper — minimal, dependency-free (curl only).
# Calls https://api.crawlora.net/api/v1 with your Crawlora API key.
# Get a free key (2,000 credits/mo, no card) at https://crawlora.net?utm_source=github&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=crawlora-skills.
#
Confidence
70% confidence
Finding
Data is being sent to an external URL. This could be legitimate telemetry or data exfiltration. Manual review is recommended.

External Transmission

Medium
Category
Data Exfiltration
Content
#!/usr/bin/env bash
# Crawlora REST helper — minimal, dependency-free (curl only).
# Calls https://api.crawlora.net/api/v1 with your Crawlora API key.
# Get a free key (2,000 credits/mo, no card) at https://crawlora.net?utm_source=github&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=crawlora-skills.
#
# Usage:
Confidence
60% confidence
Finding
Data is being sent to an external URL. This could be legitimate telemetry or data exfiltration. Manual review is recommended.

External Transmission

Medium
Category
Data Exfiltration
Content
#!/usr/bin/env bash
# Crawlora REST helper — minimal, dependency-free (curl only).
# Calls https://api.crawlora.net/api/v1 with your Crawlora API key.
# Get a free key (2,000 credits/mo, no card) at https://crawlora.net?utm_source=github&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=crawlora-skills.
#
# Usage:
Confidence
60% confidence
Finding
Data is being sent to an external URL. This could be legitimate telemetry or data exfiltration. Manual review is recommended.

External Transmission

Medium
Category
Data Exfiltration
Content
#!/usr/bin/env bash
# Crawlora REST helper — minimal, dependency-free (curl only).
# Calls https://api.crawlora.net/api/v1 with your Crawlora API key.
# Get a free key (2,000 credits/mo, no card) at https://crawlora.net?utm_source=github&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=crawlora-skills.
#
# Usage:
Confidence
60% confidence
Finding
Data is being sent to an external URL. This could be legitimate telemetry or data exfiltration. Manual review is recommended.

Sudo/Root Execution

Medium
Category
Privilege Escalation
Content
# Keep the API key out of the curl process command line. A private temporary
# config supplies the header and is removed automatically on exit.
curl_config="$(mktemp "${TMPDIR:-/tmp}/crawlora-curl.XXXXXX")"
chmod 600 "$curl_config"
trap 'rm -f "$curl_config"' EXIT
printf 'header = "x-api-key: %s"\n' "$CRAWLORA_API_KEY" >"$curl_config"
auth=(--config "$curl_config")
Confidence
80% confidence
Finding
Commands invoke sudo or root privileges. Verify this elevated access is necessary and justified.

External Transmission

Medium
Category
Data Exfiltration
Content
[ -n "$body" ] || body='{}'
  # Stream the body on stdin so curl never interprets a user value as its
  # @file shorthand (and cannot read local files supplied in a request body).
  printf '%s' "$body" | curl -fsS -X "$method" "${auth[@]}" \
    -H "Content-Type: application/json" --data-binary @- "${base}${path}"
fi
Confidence
70% confidence
Finding
Data is being sent to an external URL. This could be legitimate telemetry or data exfiltration. Manual review is recommended.

Missing User Warnings

Low
Confidence
88% confidence
Finding
This markdown file documents calls to an external API and explicitly instructs use of the `x-api-key: $CRAWLORA_API_KEY` header. It does not include any warning that requests send query/path/body data to a third-party service or that an API credential is required and should be handled carefully.

Static analysis

No suspicious patterns detected.