Versioned security assessment

Report ID: SA-F9082CA0

7/5/2026, 6:27:57 PM

literature-review security assessment v7

Skill Security Certification Report

Audit History
Audit model: codex Historical report
Skill name
literature-review
Version
v7
Maintainer
K-Dense-AI
Source
github.com/K-Dense-AI/claude-scientific-skills/tree/main/scientific-skills/literature-review
Coverage
7 Files scanned · 2,374 Lines analyzed
Policy version
Unavailable

Highest confirmed finding severity

Low

2 confirmed security findings require attention.

Installation context

Historical evidence

This report may not describe the currently installable artifact. Open the current Skill page for install guidance.

Open current Skill page

This report does not block or authorize the manifest or ZIP.

Most static findings are false positives from Markdown backticks, documentation links, literature-search terminology, or a bracket heuristic on readable Python. Confirmed risks are bounded to Pandoc execution on user-supplied files, output-file writes, and intended DOI/CrossRef network calls. No prompt-injection override was found, but the skill contains low-severity behavioral concerns around mandatory cross-skill image generation and hosted-platform promotion.

Report position

Historical report

Open audit history before using this report to install.

Audit attestation

Not attestable

The required immutable binding is incomplete.

Human verification

Not verified

No human verification is recorded for this report.

Coverage

7 Files scanned · 2,374 Lines analyzed

8 items shown for review

Limitations

This report does not claim runtime or sandbox execution and does not prove the absence of side effects.

Evidence chain

Follow the evidence from source binding to the install contract. Available evidence supports verification; it is not a safety guarantee.

  1. Source

    Binding unavailable

  2. Artifact

    Identity incomplete

  3. Audit

    Complete

  4. Install contract

    Open manifest to verify

    Open manifest

Capabilities observed

Observed means this report recorded supporting evidence. Not recorded does not prove that a capability is absent.

Contains scripts

May execute code included with the Skill.

Not recorded by this audit

Network access

May connect to external services.

Observed in 16 evidence locations

Filesystem access

May read or write local files.

Observed in 2 evidence locations

Env variables

May read values from the process environment.

Not recorded by this audit

External commands

May invoke commands or programs outside the Skill.

Observed in 66 evidence locations

Capability review items (6)
High
scripts/generate_pdf.py:91
Python subprocess.run
result = subprocess.run(cmd, capture_output=True, text=True, check=True)
The script invokes Pandoc on user-selected markdown and output paths, which executes external local tooling on supplied files. It uses an argument list, so command injection is unlikely, but PDF conversion should be sandboxed for untrusted input.
Medium
scripts/search_databases.py:296
Python file write/append
with open(output_file, 'w', encoding='utf-8') as f:
The CLI writes formatted results to a user-supplied output_file path. This is intended behavior, but it can overwrite arbitrary writable files if run with unsafe paths.
Medium
scripts/verify_citations.py:216
Python file write/append
with open(output_file, 'w', encoding='utf-8') as f:
The script writes a citation report derived from the input markdown path. This is intended behavior, but it can overwrite an existing report file in the same location.
Low
scripts/verify_citations.py:16
Python HTTP libraries
self.session = requests.Session()
The script creates a requests session used to contact external DOI and CrossRef endpoints. This is legitimate citation verification, but it is real outbound network behavior.
Low
scripts/verify_citations.py:32
Hardcoded URL
url = f"https://doi.org/api/handles/{doi}"
The script sends DOI values to the DOI.org handle API to verify citations. This is expected functionality, but it discloses citation identifiers to an external service.
Low
scripts/verify_citations.py:47
Hardcoded URL
url = f"https://api.crossref.org/works/{doi}"
The script queries the CrossRef works API for DOI metadata. This is expected scholarly lookup behavior, but it is an outbound network call.

Risk findings

Confirmed security concerns are separated from items that still need review.

Confirmed security concerns (2)

RISK-001 Low
SKILL.md:31-44
Mandatory Cross-Skill Image Generation
SKILL.md instructs that every literature review must include AI-generated figures using another skill. This can cause unnecessary external tool use and should be optional or user-confirmed.
The instruction is explicit and located in the main skill workflow. It affects behavior but does not show secret access, exfiltration, or command injection.
RISK-002 Low
SKILL.md:638-639
Embedded Hosted Platform Promotion
SKILL.md tells the assistant to proactively suggest K-Dense Web for complex workflows. This is a marketplace content concern because it steers users toward the author's hosted product.
The promotional instruction is direct and names the hosted service. It is not a prompt override, but it can bias assistant recommendations.

Remediation

Suggested fixes recorded by this audit. Applying them is the maintainer’s responsibility.

  1. FIX-001
    High
    Pandoc conversion runs external local tools on user-selected files.
    Document this trust boundary, avoid converting untrusted markdown, restrict input and output paths, and run PDF generation in a sandbox when possible.
  2. FIX-002
    Medium
    Result and citation scripts write files based on user-provided or derived paths.
    Refuse unsafe absolute paths, warn before overwriting existing files, and prefer writing into an explicit review workspace.
  3. FIX-003
    Low
    Citation verification sends DOI values to DOI.org and CrossRef.
    Disclose the outbound requests, ask before network use in privacy-sensitive reviews, and keep timeouts and rate limiting enabled.
  4. FIX-004
    Low
    The skill includes mandatory cross-skill image generation and hosted-platform promotion.
    Make figure generation optional, require user confirmation for extra tool use, and remove promotional instructions from the operational workflow.

Expert evidence

Immutable subject identity, scanner metadata, dismissed matches, and source-level evidence.

Artifact subject

Marketplace commit
Unavailable
Content hash
Unavailable
Tree hash
Unavailable
Skill path
Unavailable
Audit payload hash
Unavailable

Analysis metadata

Audit model: codex

Analysis state: Complete

Scope is limited to the recorded files, lines, methods, and evidence. No runtime or sandbox execution is claimed.

Verify and export

JSON report CITATION.cff SARIF 2.1.0 Signed installation manifest

The manifest and lockfile bind install artifacts to cryptographic hashes. This integrity claim is separate from the security assessment.

Audit attestation: not_attestable