T09 · Insecure Skill Coding Practices
Warning
- Location
scripts/script.sh:5- Finding
Undisclosed Plaintext Persistence of User-Supplied Content
- Content
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Vulnerability Details
File Location:
scripts/script.sh:5-7, 32, 38-82
Vulnerability Type: Plaintext storage of potentially sensitive user input and unsafe log-file handling
Risk Level: MediumVulnerable Code
bash DATA_DIR="${NEWSLETTER_WRITER_DIR:-${XDG_DATA_HOME:-$HOME/.local/share}/newsletter-writer}" DB="$DATA_DIR/data.log" mkdir -p "$DATA_DIR" _log() { echo "$(date '+%m-%d %H:%M') $1: $2" >> "$DATA_DIR/history.log"; } cmd_draft() { echo " Draft: $1 Target: ${2:-800} words" _log "draft" "${1:-}" } cmd_headline() { echo " 1. How to $1 2. $1: Complete Guide 3. Why $1 Matters" _log "headline" "${1:-}" } cmd_outline() { echo " 1. Intro | 2. Problem | 3. Solution | 4. Examples | 5. CTA" _log "outline" "${1:-}" } cmd_seo() { echo " Keywords: $1 | Title tag | Meta desc | H1-H3 | Internal links" _log "seo" "${1:-}" } cmd_schedule() { echo " Mon: Research | Tue: Write | Wed: Edit | Thu: Publish | Fri: Promote" _log "schedule" "${1:-}" } cmd_hooks() { echo " Question | Statistic | Story | Bold claim | Controversy" _log "hooks" "${1:-}" } cmd_cta() { echo " Subscribe | Share | Comment | Try it | Learn more" _log "cta" "${1:-}" } cmd_repurpose() { echo " Blog -> Thread -> Video -> Carousel -> Newsletter" _log "repurpose" "${1:-}" } cmd_metrics() { echo " Views | Clicks | Shares | Time on page | Conversions" _log "metrics" "${1:-}" } cmd_ideas() { echo " How-to | Listicle | Case study | Interview | Comparison" _log "ideas" "${1:-}" }Technical Analysis
Most content commands pass their first user-controlled argument to
_log, which appends it tohistory.login plaintext. Newsletter topics and keywords can contain confidential campaign plans, unreleased product names, customer information, or other commercially ...[truncated 2249 chars]- Remediation
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Remediation Suggestions
- Remove history logging unless it is required for a documented feature.
- Make persistence explicitly opt-in and clearly document what is stored, where it is stored, and how long it is retained.
- Create the data directory with restrictive permissions:
bash umask 077 mkdir -p -- "$DATA_DIR" chmod 700 -- "$DATA_DIR" - Validate that the log destination is not a symbolic link and is a regular file owned by the expected user before writing. Prefer opening a securely created file rather than relying on shell append redirection.
- Reject untrusted or unsafe values of
NEWSLETTER_WRITER_DIR, especially when the script may run in an elevated or automated environment. - Encode log records using a structured format and remove or escape carriage returns, newlines, and other control characters from user-controlled fields.
- Apply a retention limit and provide a command that securely clears stored history.
- Never execute this script with elevated privileges when processing untrusted arguments or environment variables.