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Security audit

openclaw-update-researcher

Security checks for vulnerabilities and agentic risk

Overview

This skill performs a narrow public GitHub update check and writes a Markdown report, with no evidence of hidden code, credential access, persistence, or destructive behavior.

Before installing, be aware that the skill will browse public GitHub pages and may create a local Markdown report under report_v1 for the selected date/version. Users outside the Asia/Shanghai timezone should verify the intended research date before running it.

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
  • 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
Findings (2)

Natural-Language Policy Violations

Medium
Category
Not specified by scanner
Confidence
94% confidence
Finding

The instruction fixes the research date to the previous day in the Asia/Shanghai timezone, which imposes a locale-specific behavior. The file does not offer user opt-in or explain why this timezone is required for the skill's purpose.

Content

No source excerpt is available for this finding.

Missing User Warnings

Low
Category
Not specified by scanner
Confidence
94% confidence
Finding

The skill explicitly instructs the agent to create a Markdown report at a concrete filesystem path, but it does not disclose that behavior or require user confirmation before writing files. This can cause unintended local state changes, overwrite existing content in matching directories, or surprise users who expected a read-only research task.

Content

No source excerpt is available for this finding.

Static analysis

No suspicious patterns detected.