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Security audit

Catallax

Security checks for vulnerabilities and agentic risk

Overview

The skill fits its Catallax/Nostr purpose, but it gives workflows that can expose a user's Nostr private key and publish sensitive work details publicly without enough safeguards.

Review carefully before installing. Do not paste a real nsec or private signing key into chat, shell commands, scripts, or logs. Prefer a dedicated signer or safer key-management flow, and confirm all event content, tags, relays, and privacy impact before publishing. Treat delivery descriptions and evidence links as potentially public and long-lived.

Vulnerability Patterns
  • Insecure Skill Coding PracticesFinds exploitable flaws such as hardcoded secrets or command injection
  • 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
Findings (1)

T09 · Insecure Skill Coding Practices

Warning
Location
SKILL.md:81
Finding

Nostr Private Key Exposed Through Command-Line Arguments

Content
View full analysis
" \ --tag p="" \ --tag amount="" \ --tag t="" \ --tag status="proposed" \ --tag funding_type="patron" \ -c '{"title":"Task Title","description":"Detailed description...","requirements":"What must be delivered"}' \ --sec "" \ wss://relay.damus.io wss://nos.lol wss://relay.primal.net ``` ```bash # Update to funded (add zap receipt reference) nak event -k 33401 \ --tag d="" \ --tag status="funded" \ --tag e="" \ # ... all other original tags ... --sec "" \ wss://relay.damus.io ``` ```bash nak event -k 951 \ --tag e="" \ --tag p="" \ -c '{"delivery":"Description of completed work","evidence":"Link or proof"}' \ --sec "" \ wss://relay.damus.io ``` ```bash nak event -k 3402 \ --tag e="" \ --tag e="" \ --tag p="" \ --tag p="" \ --tag p="" \ --tag resolution="successful" \ --tag a="33401::" \ -c '{"resolution_details":"Work met all requirements"}' \ --sec "" \ wss://relay.damus.io ``` ### Technical Analysis Every documented event-publishing workflow directs the user or agent to supply a Nostr secret key through the `--sec` command-line option. After replacing the placeholder with a real `nsec`, the secret becomes part of the process argument vector. Depending on the operating-system configuration and execution environment, command-line arguments can be exposed through: - Process inspection utilities and process metadata. ...[truncated 2177 chars]
Remediation
View remediation
Vulnerability Patterns
  • Data ExfiltrationExternal Transmission, Env Variable Harvesting, File System Enumeration
  • Trigger AbuseOverly Broad Trigger, Shadow Command Trigger, Keyword Baiting Trigger
  • Prompt InjectionInstruction Override, Hidden Instructions, Exfiltration Commands
  • Privilege EscalationExcessive Permissions, Sudo/Root Execution, Credential Access
  • Supply ChainUnpinned Dependencies, External Script Fetching, Obfuscated Code
Findings (3)

Missing User Warnings

High
Category
Not specified by scanner
Confidence
97% confidence
Finding

The skill instructs publishing signed events with --sec "<nsec>" but provides no warning that this is a highly sensitive private key that must never be exposed, logged, or supplied to untrusted tools. In an agent setting, this can lead users to paste wallet or Nostr secrets into prompts or command lines, risking account compromise and unauthorized signing.

Content

No source excerpt is available for this finding.

Vague Triggers

Medium
Category
Not specified by scanner
Confidence
95% confidence
Finding

The trigger description includes very broad terms such as tasks, gigs, and escrow, which can cause the skill to activate for unrelated user requests. Over-broad invocation increases the chance the agent will use this skill in the wrong context and follow protocol-specific instructions unnecessarily, creating confusion or unsafe handling of sensitive actions.

Content

No source excerpt is available for this finding.

Missing User Warnings

Medium
Category
Not specified by scanner
Confidence
91% confidence
Finding

The work-submission guidance publishes delivery descriptions and evidence links to public relays without warning that these details may be permanent, broadly visible, and attributable to the user. Users may unknowingly disclose private work product, personal information, or sensitive URLs, especially because delivery is framed as a normal protocol action.

Content

No source excerpt is available for this finding.

Static analysis

No suspicious patterns detected.