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Security audit

Tavily Research

Security checks for vulnerabilities and agentic risk

Overview

This skill is a straightforward Tavily web-research wrapper that sends user queries to Tavily and returns or saves cited results.

Install only if you are comfortable sending research queries to Tavily using your Tavily API key. Avoid submitting secrets, regulated personal data, or confidential internal material as queries, and use the output-file option only with paths you intend the skill to write.

A.I.G

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

SkillSpector

Vulnerability Patterns
  • Data ExfiltrationExternal Transmission, Env Variable Harvesting, File System Enumeration
  • MCP Least PrivilegeUnderdeclared Capability, Wildcard Permission, Missing Permission Declaration
  • Prompt InjectionInstruction Override, Hidden Instructions, Exfiltration Commands
  • Privilege EscalationExcessive Permissions, Sudo/Root Execution, Credential Access
  • Supply ChainUnpinned Dependencies, External Script Fetching, Obfuscated Code
Findings (5)

Undeclared Tool Scope

Medium
Category
MCP Least Privilege
Confidence
91% confidence
Finding

The skill requires environment access for an API key and performs outbound network-backed research, but it does not declare any explicit tool scope such as permissions or allowed-tools. This creates a transparency and governance gap: users and hosting frameworks may invoke the skill without clear consent or policy constraints around secret use and external communications.

Content

No source excerpt is available for this finding.

Missing User Warnings

Medium
Category
Not specified by scanner
Confidence
95% confidence
Finding

The skill description says it conducts research on any topic with automatic source gathering, but it does not clearly warn that user queries will be transmitted to a third-party web research service. Users may unintentionally send sensitive, proprietary, or regulated data off-platform, creating privacy, compliance, and confidentiality risks.

Content

No source excerpt is available for this finding.

External Transmission

Medium
Category
Data Exfiltration
Confidence
60% confidence
Finding

Data is being sent to an external URL. This could be legitimate telemetry or data exfiltration. Manual review is recommended.

Content

Scanner excerpt · scripts/research.mjs (reported line 71)May include surrounding context.

js
body.max_results = 10;
}

const resp = await fetch("https://api.tavily.com/search", {
  method: "POST",
  headers: {
    "Content-Type": "application/json",

External Transmission

Medium
Category
Data Exfiltration
Confidence
50% confidence
Finding

Data is being sent to an external URL. This could be legitimate telemetry or data exfiltration. Manual review is recommended.

Content

Scanner excerpt · scripts/research.mjs (reported line 71)May include surrounding context.

js
body.max_results = 10;
}

const resp = await fetch("https://api.tavily.com/search", {
  method: "POST",
  headers: {
    "Content-Type": "application/json",

Missing User Warnings

Medium
Category
Not specified by scanner
Confidence
92% confidence
Finding

This code performs a network POST request containing the user-supplied query to a third-party service. Although the CLI usage mentions the API key requirement, it does not clearly disclose that the user's research query will be transmitted externally, which is a privacy-relevant operation.

Content

No source excerpt is available for this finding.

Static analysis

No suspicious patterns detected.