Alpha Finder (x402)

• Outcome: Review
• Latest audit: Jul 10, 2026 · 3:33 AM UTC
• Version: 1.0.0

Overview

This paid market-research skill is clearly described, but it asks users to expose a raw wallet private key to a dynamically fetched external npm package.

Review carefully before installing. Use only a dedicated low-balance Base wallet, do not use a main wallet private key, avoid plaintext config files where possible, restrict file permissions if you must use one, and assume each query is sent to an external paid tool that can charge $0.03 USDC per request.

SkillSpector

By NVIDIA

Vulnerability Patterns

• Data Exfiltration: External Transmission, Env Variable Harvesting, File System Enumeration
• Excessive Agency: Unrestricted Tool Access, Autonomous Decision Making, Scope Creep
• Rogue Agent: Self-Modification, Session Persistence
• Prompt Injection: Instruction Override, Hidden Instructions, Exfiltration Commands
• Privilege Escalation: Excessive Permissions, Sudo/Root Execution, Credential Access

Findings (5)

Context-Inappropriate Capability

Medium

• Confidence: 88% confidence
• Finding: The skill asks users to provide a blockchain private key to perform paid requests for market research, but the documentation does not justify why raw key material must be exposed to the skill rather than using a safer payment abstraction. Requiring direct access to a wallet signing key expands the blast radius from simple market lookup to potential financial loss if the key is mishandled, logged, or accessed by other components.

Context-Inappropriate Capability

Medium

• Confidence: 89% confidence
• Finding: The script searches common filesystem locations for a blockchain private key, reads it into memory, and uses it for a paid network operation even though the visible purpose is market analysis. This expands the skill's access to sensitive wallet material and creates unnecessary secret exposure, especially in shared or agent-driven environments where local files may be read without clear user awareness.

Missing User Warnings

Medium

• Confidence: 95% confidence
• Finding: The documentation instructs users to place a sensitive private key in an environment variable or plaintext JSON file, including a home-directory example, without any warning about secret exposure risks. This encourages insecure secret storage practices that can lead to credential theft through shell history, process inspection, accidental commits, backup leakage, or local file compromise, enabling unauthorized wallet use.

Missing User Warnings

Medium

• Confidence: 94% confidence
• Finding: The script loads a raw private key from a local file and exports it as an environment variable, increasing the chance of leakage to child processes, logs, crash dumps, process inspection, or unrelated tooling. Because the key controls blockchain funds, compromise can directly enable unauthorized payments or theft.

Session Persistence

Medium

• Category: Rogue Agent

Content

echo ""
    echo "Please configure your private key using one of these methods:"
    echo "1. Set environment variable: export X402_PRIVATE_KEY=\"0x...\""
    echo "2. Create x402-config.json in current directory with:"
    echo '   {"private_key": "0x..."}'
    echo "3. Create ~/.x402-config.json in your home directory"
    exit 1

• Confidence: 77% confidence
• Finding: Create x402-config.json in current directory with:" echo ' {"private_key": "0x..."}' echo "3. Create ~/.x

VirusTotal

66/66 vendors flagged this skill as clean.

Static analysis

No suspicious patterns detected.