Security audit

m3u8 video downloader

Security checks for vulnerabilities and agentic risk

Overview

This is a functional M3U8 downloader, but it needs review because it disables HTTPS certificate checks while downloading playlists, video segments, and keys before processing them with ffmpeg.

Install only if you are comfortable with an HLS downloader that disables HTTPS certificate validation. Use it only with trusted M3U8 sources, avoid hostile or public networks, keep ffmpeg updated, and use a new dedicated output name or folder for each download so cleanup cannot remove preexisting TS files.

SkillSpector

Vulnerability Patterns

Trigger AbuseOverly Broad Trigger, Shadow Command Trigger, Keyword Baiting Trigger
MCP Least PrivilegeUnderdeclared Capability, Wildcard Permission, Missing Permission Declaration
Prompt InjectionInstruction Override, Hidden Instructions, Exfiltration Commands
Data ExfiltrationExternal Transmission, Env Variable Harvesting, File System Enumeration
Privilege EscalationExcessive Permissions, Sudo/Root Execution, Credential Access

Findings (5)

Lp3

Medium

Category: MCP Least Privilege
Confidence: 95% confidence
Finding: The skill instructs the agent to perform network access, file reads/writes, and shell execution via ffmpeg, but it declares no permissions. That mismatch is dangerous because it obscures the skill's actual capabilities from policy enforcement and users, increasing the chance of unauthorized downloads, local file manipulation, or command execution without proper review.

Vague Triggers

Medium

Confidence: 86% confidence
Finding: The trigger phrases are broad enough to match generic requests about downloading videos from arbitrary URLs, which can cause the skill to activate in contexts beyond narrowly scoped M3U8/HLS use. Because the skill performs network fetching, decryption handling, file writes, and ffmpeg execution, overbroad invocation increases the risk of unsafe or policy-violating downloads being initiated with minimal user specificity.

Missing User Warnings

Medium

Confidence: 77% confidence
Finding: The skill documents automatic cleanup behavior but does not clearly warn users up front that temporary TS files, keys, and playlist artifacts may be deleted after execution. This can hinder forensic review, surprise users, and remove intermediate evidence needed to diagnose failures or inspect what was downloaded, especially in a security-sensitive environment.

Missing User Warnings

Medium

Confidence: 98% confidence
Finding: The script disables TLS certificate verification when fetching the M3U8 playlist, which makes HTTPS connections vulnerable to man-in-the-middle interception and tampering. In this skill's context, the playlist controls subsequent segment and key URLs, so a network attacker could redirect downloads, substitute malicious media content, or alter decryption metadata.

Missing User Warnings

Medium

Confidence: 88% confidence
Finding: The script downloads and stores AES key material locally without clearly warning the user or minimizing retention. In an HLS downloader, decryption keys are sensitive because they allow offline decryption of protected content; storing them on disk increases exposure to local compromise, unintended reuse, or forensic recovery.

Static analysis

No suspicious patterns detected.