T05 · Unauthorized Access and Privilege Escalation
Warning
- Location
- references/troubleshooting.md:9
- Finding
- Unnecessary Full Disk Access Recommendation## Vulnerability Details **File Location**: `references/troubleshooting.md`, line 9 **Vulnerability Type**: Excessive permission recommendation **Risk Level**: Medium **Vulnerable Code Snippet**: ```markdown - Also allow Full Disk Access if your environment requires it ``` ### Technical Analysis The documented functionality only uses AppleScript automation to interact with Reminders, Notes, Calendar, and Messages. The audited scripts do not demonstrate any operation requiring unrestricted access to protected files. Recommending Full Disk Access without defining a concrete, technically verified requirement violates the principle of least privilege. This permission can give the terminal or host application access to sensitive data outside the skill's stated scope. It is also unlikely to resolve an ordinary Apple Events authorization failure, which should instead be addressed through narrowly scoped Automation permissions. ### Attack Path 1. A script triggers a macOS Automation prompt or fails because Apple Events access has not been approved. 2. The user consults `references/troubleshooting.md`. 3. The user grants Full Disk Access to the terminal or agent host based on the recommendation. 4. The host process—and any commands or skills executed through it—can subsequently access protected files beyond the requirements of the audited skill. 5. If that host process or a later workload is compromised, the unnecessarily broad permission increases the accessible data and resulting impact. This finding does not establish that the bundled scripts themselves read protected files; the risk arises from inducing an unnecessary expansion of the host application's permissions. ### Impact Assessment The affected terminal or agent host may receive broad access to protected user data outside Reminders, Notes, Calendar, and Messages. Depending on macOS version and system policy, this may expose otherwise restricted application data and ...[truncated 366 chars]
- Remediation
- ## Remediation Suggestions Remove the general Full Disk Access recommendation and document only the per-application Automation permissions required for Reminders, Notes, Calendar, and Messages. Replace the vulnerable guidance with narrowly scoped instructions such as: ```markdown - In System Settings → Privacy & Security → Automation, allow the terminal or host application to control only the application used by the failing operation. - Do not grant Full Disk Access for these scripts. If a separate workflow requires access to a protected file, document the exact file and operation and use the narrowest applicable permission. ``` Additional hardening measures: 1. Explain that Apple Events authorization and Full Disk Access are distinct controls. 2. Provide application-specific troubleshooting steps rather than requesting broader permissions. 3. If an exceptional environment genuinely requires additional access, document the exact failed operation, validate that the permission resolves it, and instruct users to revoke the permission afterward. 4. Avoid suggesting persistent host-wide permissions as a generic response to script failures.