T08 · Insecure Dependencies
- Location
SKILL.md:373- Finding
Unpinned Certbot Installation from a Mutable Package Repository
- Content
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Vulnerability Details
File Location:
SKILL.md, line 373
Vulnerability Type: Insecure third-party dependency installation
Risk Level: MediumVulnerable Code
markdown | certbot | Command-line tool | Recommended | `pip install certbot` or download from eff.org |Technical Analysis
The Skill recommends installing Certbot through
pip install certbotwithout pinning a reviewed version, locking transitive dependencies, verifying package hashes, or requiring an isolated environment. The command relies on the mutable default Python package repository and executes package installation logic with the privileges of the invoking user.This does not establish that Certbot is malicious. The weakness is that the command implicitly trusts whichever release and dependency versions the package index resolves at execution time. A compromised publisher account, malicious dependency release, package-index compromise, or future dependency-chain incident could therefore introduce code that was not present during this audit.
Attack Path
- An attacker compromises a relevant package publisher, release process, package-index account, or transitive dependency.
- The attacker publishes a malicious version that satisfies the unconstrained dependency resolution.
- A user or Agent follows the Skill's dependency instructions and runs
pip install certbot. - Pip downloads the current package and its resolved dependencies without checking them against a reviewed lock file or expected hashes.
- Malicious package code executes during installation or when Certbot is subsequently invoked.
- The payload operates with the permissions of the user running pip or Certbot.
Impact Assessment
Successful exploitation could permit arbitrary code execution with the invoking user's privileges. Because certificate administration is commonly performed by an administrator or root-equivalent account, the potential scope ma ...[truncated 355 chars]
- Remediation
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Remediation Suggestions
- Prefer Certbot installation through the operating system's signed package repository or Certbot's current official installation procedure.
- If pip installation is required, create a dedicated virtual environment and avoid installing into a privileged system-wide Python environment.
- Pin Certbot and every transitive dependency to versions that have been reviewed and tested.
- Generate a lock file containing cryptographic hashes and install with hash enforcement, such as pip's
--require-hashesoption. - Obtain packages only from an explicitly configured trusted index over TLS, and document the expected package publisher and source.
- Perform installation as an unprivileged account where possible. Grant only the narrowly required permissions for certificate deployment and renewal.
- Periodically update pinned versions through a controlled review process that includes provenance verification and vulnerability scanning.