T05 · Unauthorized Access and Privilege Escalation
- Location
SKILL.md:46- Finding
Default Access to Browser Authentication Cookies
- Content
View full analysis
Vulnerability Details
File Location:
SKILL.md, lines 46–54; related retry guidance at line 63
Vulnerability Type: Excessive access to browser authentication material
Risk Level: MediumVulnerable Code
bash # YouTube: use browser cookies by default to reduce 403 errors yt-dlp -P "/path/to/workspace" --cookies-from-browser chrome -o "%(title)s.%(ext)s" "YOUTUBE_URL"markdown - YouTube / YouTube Music: use `--cookies-from-browser chrome` by default. Supported browser cookie sources include `chrome`, `firefox`, `safari`, `edge`, `brave`, and `opera`.Related retry guidance:
markdown - `HTTP 403 Forbidden`: retry with `--cookies-from-browser chrome` or another browser where the user is logged in.Technical Analysis
The workflow instructs the Agent to import cookies from a logged-in browser by default when downloading YouTube content. Browser cookie stores contain sensitive session authentication material. Accessing them is generally unnecessary for public videos and violates the principle of least privilege unless the requested resource explicitly requires authentication.
Although cookie domain restrictions normally limit where individual cookies are transmitted, the selected
yt-dlpprocess receives access to the browser cookie database and may use authenticated sessions while processing the supplied URL. The risk increases if the installed downloader or one of its extractors is compromised, the URL resolves through an unexpected extraction flow, or the browser profile has access to private or account-scoped media.Cookie access is presented as a default rather than an explicit, informed, user-approved escalation.
Attack Path
- A user or attacker supplies a video URL for processing.
- The Agent follows the documented YouTube workflow.
- The Agent invokes
yt-dlpwith--cookies-from-browser chrome. yt-dlpreads authentication cookies from the logged-in Chrome profile.- The download runs with ...[truncated 972 chars]
- Remediation
View remediation
Remediation Suggestions
- Attempt every download without browser cookies first.
- Request explicit user consent before reading any browser cookie store.
- Explain why authentication is needed and which browser profile will be accessed.
- Restrict authenticated downloads to an allowlist of expected domains.
- Use a dedicated, minimally privileged browser profile rather than the user's primary profile.
- Do not automatically retry authentication failures with another logged-in browser.
- Prefer narrowly scoped exported cookies where supported, protect the cookie file with restrictive permissions, and securely delete it after use.
- Add guidance that private or restricted content must only be accessed when the user is authorized to download it.
A safer command should be the default:
bash yt-dlp -P "/path/to/workspace" -o "%(title)s.%(ext)s" "YOUTUBE_URL"Cookie-enabled execution should occur only after anonymous access fails and the user expressly approves the escalation.
