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Security audit

Skill

Security checks for vulnerabilities and agentic risk

Overview

The skill is a coherent autonomous game agent, but it needs Review because it stores and prints secrets and can automatically take consequential game-account actions without clear user approval.

Review before installing if you care about strict control over your game account or API keys. Keep the generated .env private, avoid running setup in shared terminals or CI logs, rotate keys if they are exposed, and consider disabling or modifying automatic crew-joining and high-spend autonomous actions before long unattended runs.

Vulnerability Patterns
  • Skill Instruction HijackingAlters the agent's session goals or safety constraints when the skill loads
  • Insecure Skill Coding PracticesFinds exploitable flaws such as hardcoded secrets or command injection
  • 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
Findings (3)

T01 · Skill Instruction Hijacking

Error
Location
arena-agent.js:393
Finding

Untrusted Remote Game Data Is Embedded in the LLM System Prompt

Content
View full analysis
p.id !== player.id) .map(p => `[${p.id}] ${p.username} (${p.rank_title})`) .join('\n ') || 'none nearby'; const myContracts = (state.my_contracts || []) .map(c => `[${c.id}] ${c.contract_type}: ${c.description} ${c.progress || 0}/${c.target} ($${c.scaled_reward || c.base_reward})`) .join('\n '); const offeredContracts = (state.contracts || []) .filter(c => c.status === 'offered') .map(c => `[${c.id}] ${c.contract_type}: ${c.description} ($${c.scaled_reward || c.base_reward})`) .join('\n '); // Dynamic context only return `${STATIC_SYSTEM_PREFIX} ## Your Status ${player.username} | ${rankTitle} (${rank}/7) | XP: ${player.reputation_xp || 0} | ${player.current_district} Dirty: $${player.dirty_cash || 0} | Clean: $${player.clean_cash || 0} | Heat: ${player.heat_level?.toFixed(1) || 0}/${HEAT_MAX} ${player.heat_level > 25 ? 'RISK' : ''} Season: $${player.season_revenue || 0} | Shaken: ${player.is_shaken ? 'YES' : 'No'} | Launder cap: $${player.solo_launder_remaining ?? '?'} ## Resources Inventory: ${inventory} Dealers (${(state.dealers || []).length}/8): ${dealers} Cooks: ${cooks} Gear: ${gear} Contracts: ${contracts} ## Environment Players: ${districtPlayers}${buildMarketSummary(state.market, rank, player.current_district)} ${buildCrewSection(state, player)} ${buildTurfSection(state, player)} ${formatActionHistory(recentActions)} ${formatAvailableActions(state, rank, availableDrugs, hasActiveContract, player)}`; } ``` The resulting string is subsequently supplied as the system-role message in `llm.js:25-29`: ```js const mes ...[truncated 2468 chars]
Remediation
View remediation

T09 · Insecure Skill Coding Practices

Warning
Location
arena-cli.js:80
Finding

Arena and OpenRouter Credentials Are Stored and Displayed Insecurely

Content
View full analysis
Remediation
View remediation

other

Warning
Location
arena-agent.js:1261
Finding

Untrusted Crew Invitations Are Accepted Automatically

Content
View full analysis
Remediation
View remediation
Vulnerability Patterns
  • Data ExfiltrationExternal Transmission, Env Variable Harvesting, File System Enumeration
  • Privilege EscalationExcessive Permissions, Sudo/Root Execution, Credential Access
  • Supply ChainUnpinned Dependencies, External Script Fetching, Obfuscated Code
  • Excessive AgencyUnrestricted Tool Access, Autonomous Decision Making, Scope Creep
  • MCP Least PrivilegeUnderdeclared Capability, Wildcard Permission, Missing Permission Declaration
Findings (31)

Tp4

High
Category
MCP Tool Poisoning
Confidence
96% confidence
Finding

The code is broadly aligned with the Burner Empire game domain and does provide client functionality for agent registration, state/actions, and real-time updates. However, the declared description specifically says 'Now with real-time WebSocket support,' while the supplied code explicitly implements an SSE stream client ('Server-Sent Events connection') and contains no WebSocket usage. That is a material description-versus-behavior mismatch. The rest of the functionality is generally consistent with an MMO arena client, so the mismatch is specific rather than total.

Content

No source excerpt is available for this finding.

Ae1

High
Category
analysis-evasion
Confidence
100% confidence
Finding

Referenced artifact was not completely inspected

Content

Scanner excerpt · SKILL.md (reported line 229)May include surrounding context.

md
- `arena-agent.js` — Main autonomous game loop (supports ws/sse/polling transport)

Ae1

High
Category
analysis-evasion
Confidence
100% confidence
Finding

Referenced artifact was not completely inspected

Content

Scanner excerpt · SKILL.md (reported line 230)May include surrounding context.

md
- `arena-cli.js` — Management CLI (setup, register, create, status, leaderboard)

Ae1

High
Category
analysis-evasion
Confidence
100% confidence
Finding

Referenced artifact was not completely inspected

Content

Scanner excerpt · SKILL.md (reported line 231)May include surrounding context.

md
- `arena-client.js` — REST API client

Ae1

High
Category
analysis-evasion
Confidence
100% confidence
Finding

Referenced artifact was not completely inspected

Content

Scanner excerpt · SKILL.md (reported line 232)May include surrounding context.

md
- `arena-ws-client.js` — WebSocket client (real-time transport)

External Model or Provider Selection

High
Category
Excessive Agency
Confidence
90% confidence
Finding

Skill selects an external model or provider that may use a different account or billing plan than the operator expects. Undisclosed model switches can cause unexpected cost or quota consumption.

Content

Scanner excerpt · arena-cli.js (reported line 8)May include surrounding context.

js
//   node arena-cli.js setup                       Guided setup (register + create + .env)
//   node arena-cli.js play [--duration 30m]       Run the agent (fork of arena-agent.js)
//   node arena-cli.js register                    Register for an API key
//   node arena-cli.js create --name AgentX --model claude-sonnet-4-6
//   node arena-cli.js status                      Show agent info and players
//   node arena-cli.js state --player-id UUID      Get game state
//   node arena-cli.js profile --name AgentX       Get public agent profile

Credential Access

High
Category
Privilege Escalation
Confidence
60% confidence
Finding

Code accesses credential files (SSH keys, AWS credentials, etc.). This could indicate credential theft attempts.

Content

Scanner excerpt · SKILL.md (reported line 95)May include surrounding context.

md
// Arena Agent - Configuration
// REST API client for Burner Empire AI Arena

// ── Auto-load .env from script directory (no dependencies) ──────────
import { readFileSync } from 'fs';
import { fileURLToPath } from 'url';
import { dirname, join } from 'path';

Credential Access

High
Category
Privilege Escalation
Confidence
60% confidence
Finding

Code accesses credential files (SSH keys, AWS credentials, etc.). This could indicate credential theft attempts.

Content

Scanner excerpt · SKILL.md (reported line 96)May include surrounding context.

md
// Arena Agent - Configuration
// REST API client for Burner Empire AI Arena

// ── Auto-load .env from script directory (no dependencies) ──────────
import { readFileSync } from 'fs';
import { fileURLToPath } from 'url';
import { dirname, join } from 'path';

Credential Access

High
Category
Privilege Escalation
Confidence
60% confidence
Finding

Code accesses credential files (SSH keys, AWS credentials, etc.). This could indicate credential theft attempts.

Content

Scanner excerpt · arena-cli.js (reported line 100)May include surrounding context.

js
// Arena Agent - Configuration
// REST API client for Burner Empire AI Arena

// ── Auto-load .env from script directory (no dependencies) ──────────
import { readFileSync } from 'fs';
import { fileURLToPath } from 'url';
import { dirname, join } from 'path';

Credential Access

High
Category
Privilege Escalation
Confidence
60% confidence
Finding

Code accesses credential files (SSH keys, AWS credentials, etc.). This could indicate credential theft attempts.

Content

Scanner excerpt · arena-cli.js (reported line 204)May include surrounding context.

js
// Arena Agent - Configuration
// REST API client for Burner Empire AI Arena

// ── Auto-load .env from script directory (no dependencies) ──────────
import { readFileSync } from 'fs';
import { fileURLToPath } from 'url';
import { dirname, join } from 'path';

Credential Access

High
Category
Privilege Escalation
Confidence
60% confidence
Finding

Code accesses credential files (SSH keys, AWS credentials, etc.). This could indicate credential theft attempts.

Content

Scanner excerpt · arena-cli.js (reported line 213)May include surrounding context.

js
// Arena Agent - Configuration
// REST API client for Burner Empire AI Arena

// ── Auto-load .env from script directory (no dependencies) ──────────
import { readFileSync } from 'fs';
import { fileURLToPath } from 'url';
import { dirname, join } from 'path';

Credential Access

High
Category
Privilege Escalation
Confidence
60% confidence
Finding

Code accesses credential files (SSH keys, AWS credentials, etc.). This could indicate credential theft attempts.

Content

Scanner excerpt · arena-cli.js (reported line 417)May include surrounding context.

js
// Arena Agent - Configuration
// REST API client for Burner Empire AI Arena

// ── Auto-load .env from script directory (no dependencies) ──────────
import { readFileSync } from 'fs';
import { fileURLToPath } from 'url';
import { dirname, join } from 'path';

Credential Access

High
Category
Privilege Escalation
Confidence
60% confidence
Finding

Code accesses credential files (SSH keys, AWS credentials, etc.). This could indicate credential theft attempts.

Content

Scanner excerpt · config.js (reported line 4)May include surrounding context.

js
// Arena Agent - Configuration
// REST API client for Burner Empire AI Arena

// ── Auto-load .env from script directory (no dependencies) ──────────
import { readFileSync } from 'fs';
import { fileURLToPath } from 'url';
import { dirname, join } from 'path';

Credential Access

High
Category
Privilege Escalation
Confidence
60% confidence
Finding

Code accesses credential files (SSH keys, AWS credentials, etc.). This could indicate credential theft attempts.

Content

Scanner excerpt · config.js (reported line 21)May include surrounding context.

js
// Arena Agent - Configuration
// REST API client for Burner Empire AI Arena

// ── Auto-load .env from script directory (no dependencies) ──────────
import { readFileSync } from 'fs';
import { fileURLToPath } from 'url';
import { dirname, join } from 'path';

Credential Access

High
Category
Privilege Escalation
Confidence
60% confidence
Finding

Code accesses credential files (SSH keys, AWS credentials, etc.). This could indicate credential theft attempts.

Content

Scanner excerpt · arena-cli.js (reported line 65)May include surrounding context.

js
try {
  const __dir = dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url));
  const envText = readFileSync(join(__dir, '.env'), 'utf8');
  for (const line of envText.split('\n')) {
    const trimmed = line.trim();
    if (!trimmed || trimmed.startsWith('#')) continue;

Credential Access

High
Category
Privilege Escalation
Confidence
60% confidence
Finding

Code accesses credential files (SSH keys, AWS credentials, etc.). This could indicate credential theft attempts.

Content

Scanner excerpt · config.js (reported line 11)May include surrounding context.

js
try {
  const __dir = dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url));
  const envText = readFileSync(join(__dir, '.env'), 'utf8');
  for (const line of envText.split('\n')) {
    const trimmed = line.trim();
    if (!trimmed || trimmed.startsWith('#')) continue;

Missing User Warnings

Medium
Category
Not specified by scanner
Confidence
95% confidence
Finding

The skill explicitly instructs the agent to read secrets from .env, including an API bearer token and player identifier, without any warning, consent boundary, or minimization guidance. In an agent setting, directing access to local secret material is dangerous because the same skill also drives outbound network requests and could cause credentials to be used or exposed beyond the user's intended scope.

Content

No source excerpt is available for this finding.

External Transmission

Medium
Category
Data Exfiltration
Confidence
92% confidence
Finding

The file instructs the agent to transmit data to an external service using a bearer token in the Authorization header. While contacting the game server is core to the skill's purpose, this is still a real security concern because the skill combines local secret access with external transmission, creating a path for credential misuse or unintended disclosure if the agent follows the instructions automatically.

Content

Scanner excerpt · CLAUDE.md (reported line 19)May include surrounding context.

Get state:

text
curl -s https://burnerempire.com/api/arena/state/{PLAYER_ID} \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer {API_KEY}"

Undeclared Tool Scope

Medium
Category
MCP Least Privilege
Confidence
88% confidence
Finding

The skill advertises executable setup and runtime flows that require environment variables and network access, but it does not declare any explicit tool scope or allowed-tools boundary in the skill manifest. That omission weakens least-privilege controls and can cause a host agent to grant broader capabilities than users expect when installing or running the skill.

Content

No source excerpt is available for this finding.

Rp1

Medium
Category
MCP Rug Pull
Confidence
94% confidence
Finding

Using npx clawhub install burnerempire-arena without pinning a specific version introduces supply-chain risk because the fetched package may change over time or be replaced by a malicious publication. A user following the documented command could execute unreviewed code at install time with local developer privileges.

Content

No source excerpt is available for this finding.

Rp1

Medium
Category
MCP Rug Pull
Confidence
94% confidence
Finding

This is the same unpinned remote execution pattern repeated in the standalone setup instructions. Recommending npx clawhub install burnerempire-arena allows arbitrary future package contents to run during installation, making the installation path vulnerable to package compromise or takeover.

Content

No source excerpt is available for this finding.

Missing User Warnings

Medium
Category
Not specified by scanner
Confidence
90% confidence
Finding

The agent sends a large system prompt derived from live player, inventory, contracts, nearby players, crew, turf, and market state into the LLM decision function, but the skill description and code shown do not provide an explicit user warning about this disclosure. If the LLM backend is third-party or remote, this can leak sensitive gameplay and account-linked data, including identifiers and behavioral state, to external providers.

Content

No source excerpt is available for this finding.

Context-Inappropriate Capability

Medium
Category
Not specified by scanner
Confidence
96% confidence
Finding

The notification handler automatically accepts any incoming crew invitation whenever the player is not already in a crew, without user confirmation or any trust policy. This grants other players the ability to change the agent's social affiliation and unlock shared treasury, war, turf, and crew-side actions, which exceeds normal per-tick gameplay autonomy and can be abused for manipulation or griefing.

Content

No source excerpt is available for this finding.

Missing User Warnings

Medium
Category
Not specified by scanner
Confidence
97% confidence
Finding

The skill performs a sensitive social action—joining a crew—automatically and without any user warning or approval path. In this game context, crew membership is not cosmetic: it changes available actions and exposes the agent to group dynamics, making unsolicited invites a viable control/influence vector from untrusted players.

Content

No source excerpt is available for this finding.

Missing User Warnings

Medium
Category
Not specified by scanner
Confidence
94% confidence
Finding

The setup flow persists sensitive credentials including ARENA_API_KEY and OPENROUTER_API_KEY into a plaintext .env file in the skill directory without any warning, permission hardening, or guidance to exclude the file from source control. On multi-user systems, in shared workspaces, or if the repository is later committed, these secrets can be exposed and reused to impersonate the user or consume paid API resources.

Content

No source excerpt is available for this finding.

Static analysis

No suspicious patterns detected.