Security audit

tia-portal-openness

Security checks across malware telemetry and agentic risk

Overview

This looks like a legitimate TIA Portal automation skill, but it needs Review because it asks users to run elevated PowerShell, bypass script policy, change a persistent Windows access group, and automate PLC project writes without enough guardrails.

Install only on an authorized TIA Portal engineering workstation. Review the PowerShell script before running it, avoid ExecutionPolicy Bypass unless you understand why it is needed, confirm any project path before create/import/save actions, keep backups of PLC projects, and add users to the Siemens TIA Openness local group only with appropriate approval and a plan to remove access when no longer needed.

SkillSpector

By NVIDIA

Vulnerability Patterns

Trigger AbuseOverly Broad Trigger, Shadow Command Trigger, Keyword Baiting Trigger
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

Findings (4)

Vague Triggers

Medium

Confidence: 76% confidence
Finding: The skill description is broad enough that an agent could invoke it for loosely related PLC engineering tasks without clear boundaries or confirmation requirements. Because the skill can open, create, export, import, compile, and save TIA Portal projects, ambiguous activation increases the chance of unintended project modification or misuse.

Missing User Warnings

Medium

Confidence: 88% confidence
Finding: The documented workflows describe creating projects, opening existing projects, exporting blocks, importing modified SCL, compiling, and saving, but they do not clearly warn that these actions will alter project files and workspace contents. In an engineering context, silent modification of PLC project artifacts can cause data loss, overwritten logic, or unsafe deployment preparation if a user misunderstands the scope of changes.

Missing User Warnings

High

Confidence: 96% confidence
Finding: The instructions tell users to run PowerShell as administrator and use ExecutionPolicy Bypass to execute a script, but provide no safety warning or trust boundary guidance. This materially lowers host protections and encourages elevated execution of local scripts, which could be abused if the skill contents or referenced scripts are modified or substituted.

Missing User Warnings

High

Confidence: 93% confidence
Finding: The setup guidance instructs users to add an account to the 'Siemens TIA Openness' local group without explaining the security implications or limiting when this should be done. Group membership changes expand local privileges or access scope and, if followed casually, can create unnecessary standing access for users or service accounts.

VirusTotal

65/65 vendors flagged this skill as clean.

View on VirusTotal

Static analysis

No suspicious patterns detected.