T08 · Insecure Dependencies
- Location
SKILL.md:27- Finding
Unpinned Third-Party Package Installation
- Content
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Vulnerability Details
File Location:
SKILL.md, line 27
Vulnerability Type: Unpinned dependency installation from a public package registry
Risk Level: MediumVulnerable Code
bash pip install ollama-herd # PyPI: https://pypi.org/project/ollama-herd/ herd # start the router (port 11435) herd-node # run on each device — finds the router automaticallyTechnical Analysis
The installation instruction retrieves the latest available release of
ollama-herd, along with its transitive dependencies, from PyPI without specifying an audited version, lockfile, or package hashes. The Skill package contains only documentation and does not include source code or integrity metadata for the component users are instructed to execute.Consequently, the effective implementation can change after this Skill has been reviewed. A compromised upstream release, compromised transitive dependency, or maliciously modified future version could execute unintended code when the user starts
herdorherd-node. This is a supply-chain weakness rather than evidence that the currently published package is malicious.The separately flagged commands at lines 82–88 are not remote payload execution. They request JSON from a localhost service and pass it to Python's standard-library JSON formatter; they do not pipe content into a shell.
Attack Path
- An attacker compromises the
ollama-herdpublishing account, its build pipeline, or one of its unpinned transitive dependencies. - The attacker publishes a malicious release to the package registry.
- A user follows the documented
pip install ollama-herdinstruction and receives the uncontrolled release. - The user invokes
herdorherd-nodeas instructed. - Malicious package code executes with the operating-system privileges of that user and may access resources available to the process.
Successful exploitation depends ...[truncated 598 chars]
- An attacker compromises the
- Remediation
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Remediation Suggestions
- Pin
ollama-herdto a specific version that has been reviewed, for exampleollama-herd==X.Y.Z. - Use a lockfile or constraints file that also fixes all transitive dependency versions.
- Require package hashes, such as with
pip install --require-hashes -r requirements.txt, to prevent substitution of unexpected artifacts. - Verify that the PyPI publisher corresponds to the linked upstream repository and document the expected package provenance.
- Prefer installation in an isolated virtual environment with ordinary user privileges.
- Periodically review dependency updates before changing the pinned version, including published artifacts, dependency changes, and upstream release signatures where available.
- Consider documenting use of
pipxor a dedicated virtual environment to limit dependency conflicts and reduce exposure to the user's broader Python environment.
- Pin