T08 · Insecure Dependencies
- Location
SKILL.md:17- Finding
Unpinned Third-Party Dependency Installation
- Content
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Vulnerability Details
File Location:
SKILL.md, lines 17–20
Vulnerability Type: Unpinned and unhashed dependency installation
Risk Level: Mediumbash # Ensure python-pptx is installed python -m pip install python-pptxTechnical Analysis
The documented installation command retrieves
python-pptxand its transitive dependencies without pinning reviewed versions or verifying package integrity with cryptographic hashes. Consequently, the components installed by this command can change after the Skill has been audited.This does not establish that the current package is malicious. However, it creates a supply-chain exposure: if an upstream package, release process, distribution account, package repository, or transitive dependency is compromised, users following the instructions could install attacker-controlled code. Unexpected upstream changes could also introduce incompatible or vulnerable behavior.
Attack Path
- An attacker compromises an upstream package, maintainer account, release process, or transitive dependency used by
python-pptx. - The attacker publishes a malicious version to the package source used by pip.
- A user follows the documented
python -m pip install python-pptxinstruction after that release becomes available. - Pip resolves the mutable latest package set without checking against project-maintained version pins or integrity hashes.
- Attacker-controlled package code executes during installation or when the presentation generator imports and uses the dependency.
This path requires compromise or malicious modification of an upstream supply-chain component; the audited project itself does not retrieve or execute a separate remote payload.
Impact Assessment
Malicious dependency code would generally execute with the privileges of the user running pip or invoking the generator. Depending on those privileges and the host environment, it could read or alter accessible files, steal credentials avai ...[truncated 300 chars]
- An attacker compromises an upstream package, maintainer account, release process, or transitive dependency used by
- Remediation
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Remediation Suggestions
- Pin
python-pptxand every transitive dependency to reviewed versions in a committed dependency or lock file. - Record cryptographic hashes for all approved distributions and install with hash verification, such as:
bash python -m pip install --require-hashes -r requirements.txt - Generate the locked dependency set from a trusted package index and review dependency updates before merging them.
- Install dependencies inside an isolated virtual environment rather than the system Python environment.
- Configure pip to use an explicitly trusted index and disallow unexpected supplemental indexes where practical.
- Add automated dependency vulnerability and provenance checks to the release process.
- Update
SKILL.mdso users are directed to the reproducible, pinned installation procedure instead of installing the mutable latest release.
- Pin