T08 · Insecure Dependencies
- Location
requirements.txt:5- Finding
Unbounded Third-Party Dependency Versions Permit Unreviewed Package Updates
- Content
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Vulnerability Details
File Location:
requirements.txt, lines 5-11
Vulnerability Type: Unpinned third-party dependencies
Risk Level: MediumVulnerable Code:
text openai>=1.0.0 # Image processing library Pillow>=9.0.0 # Environment variable loading python-dotenv>=1.0.0Technical Analysis
Each dependency has only a minimum version constraint and no upper bound, exact version, lock file, or integrity hash. Consequently, installation can resolve to any future release satisfying the constraint without that release having been reviewed with the Skill.
This weakens build reproducibility and exposes installation to supply-chain risk. If an upstream project, maintainer account, release process, or package-distribution channel is compromised, a malicious future version could be selected automatically. Python packages may execute code through build backends during installation and through imported package code at runtime.
No evidence indicates that the currently named packages are malicious or that dependency confusion or typosquatting is presently occurring. The risk arises from automatically trusting future, unreviewed releases.
Attack Path
- An attacker compromises an upstream dependency, maintainer account, build pipeline, or package publication process.
- The attacker publishes a malicious release whose version satisfies one of the unrestricted constraints.
- A user runs
pip install -r requirements.txtin an environment where that release is selected. - Pip downloads and installs the unreviewed package.
- Malicious code executes during package build or installation, or later when
openai,PIL, ordotenvis imported. - The code operates with the permissions of the user or service account performing installation or running the Skill.
Impact Assessment
Successful exploitation could permit arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the installing o ...[truncated 495 chars]
- Remediation
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Remediation Suggestions
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Pin every direct dependency to an explicitly reviewed version, for example:
text openai==<reviewed-version> Pillow==<reviewed-version> python-dotenv==<reviewed-version> -
Generate and commit a lock file containing all transitive dependencies.
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Require package hashes during installation, such as through a hash-pinned requirements file and
pip install --require-hashes. -
Install packages only from an approved package index over TLS, and configure index sources explicitly in CI.
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Use an automated dependency-update process that creates reviewed pull requests rather than accepting new versions automatically.
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Run vulnerability and provenance checks on direct and transitive dependencies before release.
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Perform dependency installation and Skill execution in a least-privileged, isolated environment without unnecessary credentials or filesystem access.
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