T08 · Insecure Dependencies
- Location
SKILL.md:346- Finding
Unpinned Third-Party Package Download and Execution via npx
- Content
View full analysis
Vulnerability Details
File Location:
SKILL.md, lines 346–349
Vulnerability Type: Unpinned third-party dependency execution
Risk Level: HighVulnerable Code
bash # Use npm to generate npx sbom-tool generate -p . -o sbom.json 2>/dev/null || \ echo "Use this tool's SBOM generation script"Technical Analysis
The quick-start instructions invoke
sbom-toolthroughnpxwithout specifying an exact version, integrity hash, lockfile, or verified provenance. If the package is not already installed locally,npxmay retrieve a mutable package version from the configured npm registry and immediately execute its CLI and applicable lifecycle behavior.Consequently, the effective code executed by the Agent is not fully represented by the reviewed Skill. It can change after this audit due to a compromised package release, package ownership transfer, registry-account compromise, dependency compromise, or unexpected resolution through a malicious registry configuration. Suppressing standard error with
2>/dev/nullalso reduces visibility into installation warnings and execution failures.Attack Path
- An attacker compromises the referenced npm package, one of its transitive dependencies, or the registry account used to publish it.
- The attacker publishes a malicious version that remains eligible for unversioned resolution.
- A user or Agent follows the Skill's quick-start instructions.
npxresolves and downloads the malicious or compromised package from the configured npm registry.- The downloaded package executes with the privileges and environment of the Agent process.
- The payload may access or modify files, inspect environment variables, invoke network services, or run additional commands within those privilege boundaries.
Impact Assessment
Successful exploitation provides arbitrary code execution with the same operating-system privileges as the user or Agent running the command. The affected scope can inc ...[truncated 335 chars]
- Remediation
View remediation
Remediation Suggestions
- Replace the ambiguous package with a verified, officially maintained SBOM generator.
- Pin the dependency to an exact audited version rather than allowing mutable resolution:
bash npx --yes verified-package@1.2.3 generate -p . -o sbom.json - Record the package and transitive dependencies in a committed lockfile, and install them with a reproducible command such as
npm ci. - Verify registry provenance, package signatures or attestations, and published integrity metadata before execution.
- Configure npm to use an explicitly trusted registry and reject unexpected registry overrides.
- Disable package lifecycle scripts where compatible with the selected tool, and run the generator in a restricted sandbox with minimal filesystem, credential, and network access.
- Remove
2>/dev/null; preserve installation warnings and errors in audit logs. - Prefer a preinstalled, administrator-approved binary whose checksum is verified before execution.