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Security audit

Baoyu Format Markdown

Security checks for vulnerabilities and agentic risk

Overview

This appears to be a markdown-formatting skill, but it asks for shell command execution in a way that is not needed or clearly bounded.

Review this skill carefully before installing. It does not show evidence of malware, persistence, or data theft, but a markdown formatter should not need shell execution. Prefer a version that removes exec, removes ping/command troubleshooting instructions, and narrows the scope to explicit text-formatting operations.

Vulnerability Patterns
  • Unauthorized Access and Privilege EscalationObtains permissions beyond the task's legitimate needs
  • 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)

T05 · Unauthorized Access and Privilege Escalation

Warning
Location
SKILL.md:13
Finding

Unnecessary Arbitrary Command-Execution Capability

Content
View full analysis

Vulnerability Details

File Location: SKILL.md, lines 13–15; related declarations at lines 173, 190, and 225
Vulnerability Type: Excessive tool permissions and violation of least privilege
Risk Level: Medium

Vulnerable Code

yaml
tools:
  - read
  - exec

The Skill is also classified as command-enabled at line 190:

markdown
- **Classification**: MD+EXEC()

Its error-handling guidance at lines 173 and 225 recommends invoking the ping command for network diagnostics.

Technical Analysis

The declared purpose of this Skill is formatting plain text or Markdown. That operation requires access to document content but does not inherently require arbitrary operating-system command execution. Declaring the unrestricted exec tool therefore grants authority beyond the legitimate requirements of the task and violates the principle of least privilege.

The documentation does not define an allowlist of permitted executables, constrain command arguments or destinations, require user confirmation, or isolate command execution in a sandbox. Although the audited package contains no malicious script or explicitly destructive command, an agent interpreting ambiguous, malformed, or attacker-controlled input could use the broadly available execution tool for operations unrelated to formatting.

The network-diagnostic guidance further establishes a path through which shell execution may occur despite network access not being necessary for local Markdown formatting. The issue is an excessive-capability exposure rather than evidence that the Skill currently contains an embedded malicious payload.

Attack Path

  1. The Skill is loaded by an agent and receives the declared exec capability.
  2. An attacker supplies crafted formatting content or instructions designed to be interpreted as an operational command or troubleshooting condition.
  3. Because the Skill contains generic instruction-parsing lan ...[truncated 1203 chars]
Remediation
View remediation

Remediation Suggestions

  1. Remove exec from the declared tools because Markdown formatting does not require operating-system command execution.
  2. Replace the MD+EXEC() classification with a documentation-only or read/write capability classification appropriate to the actual formatting workflow.
  3. Remove the instructions recommending ping or other shell-based network diagnostics. Network connectivity is not required for local document formatting.
  4. Restrict the Skill to narrowly scoped document-reading and document-writing tools, with access limited to user-selected files.
  5. Clearly state that document content is untrusted data and must never be interpreted as executable instructions.
  6. If command execution is genuinely required in a future version, use a fixed executable allowlist, validate every argument, prohibit shell interpolation, require explicit user approval, execute inside a sandbox, and apply restrictive filesystem and network policies.
  7. Add concrete input validation and output-handling rules instead of generic instruction-parsing directives that could blur the boundary between content and commands.
Vulnerability Patterns
  • Excessive AgencyUnrestricted Tool Access, Autonomous Decision Making, Scope Creep
  • Trigger AbuseOverly Broad Trigger, Shadow Command Trigger, Keyword Baiting Trigger
  • MCP Tool PoisoningHidden Instructions, Unicode Deception, Parameter Description Injection
  • Prompt InjectionInstruction Override, Hidden Instructions, Exfiltration Commands
  • Data ExfiltrationExternal Transmission, Env Variable Harvesting, File System Enumeration
Findings (7)

Vague Triggers

Medium
Category
Not specified by scanner
Confidence
93% confidence
Finding

The description uses broad activation language tied to marketing, growth, and workflow scenarios rather than a precise formatting trigger. Ambiguous activation criteria can cause over-invocation of the skill in contexts far beyond markdown formatting, increasing the chance that its exec capability or broad instruction-handling language is applied to unsafe tasks.

Content

No source excerpt is available for this finding.

Context-Inappropriate Capability

Medium
Category
Not specified by scanner
Confidence
96% confidence
Finding

The skill declares the exec tool even though its stated purpose is markdown/text formatting, which normally only requires file reading/writing or pure text transformation. Unnecessary command-execution capability expands the attack surface: if the skill is activated on untrusted input, an agent may be induced to run shell commands unrelated to formatting, leading to system or network side effects.

Content

No source excerpt is available for this finding.

Missing User Warnings

Medium
Category
Not specified by scanner
Confidence
93% confidence
Finding

The skill exposes command-execution capability in metadata but does not provide a clear warning that invoking the skill may cause system-impacting actions. Hidden or underexplained execution power is dangerous because operators may assume a formatting skill is low risk and permit it in sensitive environments where shell access should require elevated scrutiny.

Content

No source excerpt is available for this finding.

Intent-Code Divergence

Medium
Category
Not specified by scanner
Confidence
91% confidence
Finding

There is a mismatch between the advertised core capability (formatting markdown) and the later operational model that includes command execution and command-failure handling as normal behavior. This inconsistency is risky because users and orchestrators may grant trust based on the harmless-looking label while the body of the skill implicitly authorizes more powerful behaviors.

Content

No source excerpt is available for this finding.

Description-Behavior Mismatch

Medium
Category
Not specified by scanner
Confidence
97% confidence
Finding

The documentation repeatedly reframes the skill as generic 'instruction parsing and execution' and 'data processing and conversion' rather than markdown formatting. That scope expansion is dangerous because it normalizes arbitrary task execution under a benign formatting label, increasing the chance an agent will treat broad user instructions as authorized actions and invoke powerful tools in unintended ways.

Content

No source excerpt is available for this finding.

Vague Triggers

Medium
Category
Not specified by scanner
Confidence
89% confidence
Finding

The capability coverage section claims support for broad usage contexts without defining boundaries or exclusions tied to the actual formatting function. In combination with execution-oriented language elsewhere, this broad scope can mislead an agent into using the skill as a general-purpose operator, which raises misuse risk beyond its nominal purpose.

Content

No source excerpt is available for this finding.

Natural-Language Policy Violations

Low
Category
Not specified by scanner
Confidence
95% confidence
Finding

The description switches into Chinese for core usage guidance, which can impose a language expectation on users without opt-in or explanation. This is a natural-language policy concern because the file does not state that the skill is intended only for Chinese-speaking or bilingual users.

Content

No source excerpt is available for this finding.

Static analysis

No suspicious patterns detected.