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Security audit

ChatGPT

Security checks for vulnerabilities and agentic risk

Overview

This skill is a local Markdown guide for improving ChatGPT workflows, with disclosed local notes and no executable automation.

Before installing, be aware that the skill keeps local ChatGPT workflow notes in ~/chatgpt/ and may guide you to paste or upload chosen material into ChatGPT. Do not store secrets or raw private documents in its memory notes, and choose a narrow activation preference if you do not want it to trigger on general ChatGPT mentions.

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
  • Prompt InjectionInstruction Override, Hidden Instructions, Exfiltration Commands
  • Excessive AgencyUnrestricted Tool Access, Autonomous Decision Making, Scope Creep
  • Trigger AbuseOverly Broad Trigger, Shadow Command Trigger, Keyword Baiting Trigger
  • Data ExfiltrationExternal Transmission, Env Variable Harvesting, File System Enumeration
  • Privilege EscalationExcessive Permissions, Sudo/Root Execution, Credential Access
Findings (4)

Hidden Instructions

High
Category
Prompt Injection
Confidence
70% confidence
Finding

Hidden instructions were detected in comments or invisible text. These could contain malicious directives. Manual review is recommended.

Content

Scanner excerpt · memory-template.md (reported line 15)May include surrounding context.

md
integration: pending

## Workflow Defaults
<!-- Preferred surfaces: standard chat, Temporary Chat, Projects, GPTs -->
<!-- Preferred prompt packet size, draft depth, and revision style -->

## Privacy Boundaries

Hidden Instructions

High
Category
Prompt Injection
Confidence
70% confidence
Finding

Hidden instructions were detected in comments or invisible text. These could contain malicious directives. Manual review is recommended.

Content

Scanner excerpt · memory-template.md (reported line 27)May include surrounding context.

md
<!-- Durable custom instruction patterns that are actually helpful -->

## Failure Modes
<!-- Repeated problems: too generic, ignores constraints, stale context, hallucinations -->
<!-- Best fixes that worked -->

## Notes

Autonomous Decision Making

Medium
Category
Excessive Agency
Confidence
75% confidence
Finding

Skill enables autonomous high-impact decisions without human-in-the-loop verification. Critical operations (destructive commands, financial transactions, data deletion) should require explicit user confirmation.

Content

Scanner excerpt · SKILL.md (reported line 90)May include surrounding context.

md
- Stuffing temporary requirements into custom instructions -> every later chat inherits the wrong behavior.
- Using the same chat for unrelated jobs -> old assumptions leak into new tasks.
- Asking for a final answer before defining audience, output format, and success criteria -> bland generic output.
- Trusting confident claims without asking what they are based on -> hallucinations survive review.
- Uploading files without telling ChatGPT which file is authoritative -> mixed or contradictory answers.
- Letting Projects accumulate stale drafts and renamed files -> the model anchors on obsolete context.
- Trying to fix a broken workflow with more adjectives -> structure beats style words.

Vague Triggers

Medium
Category
Not specified by scanner
Confidence
95% confidence
Finding

The activation trigger list is broad enough to fire on many ordinary mentions of ChatGPT-related terms, which can cause the skill to activate when the user did not clearly request it. That creates context confusion and increases the chance of unnecessary memory writes to ~/chatgpt/memory.md, especially early in a conversation before intent is explicit.

Content

No source excerpt is available for this finding.

Static analysis

No suspicious patterns detected.