Versioned security assessment

Report ID: SA-503A4FB3

6/30/2026, 5:37:21 AM

openalex-database security assessment v5

Skill Security Certification Report

Audit History

Audit model: codex Historical report

Skill name: openalex-database
Version: v5
Maintainer: K-Dense-AI
Source: github.com/K-Dense-AI/claude-scientific-skills/tree/main/scientific-skills/openalex-database
Coverage: 5 Files scanned · 1,893 Lines analyzed
Policy version: Unavailable

Highest confirmed finding severity

Low

1 confirmed security finding requires 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.

Static analysis reported many high-risk patterns, but the external command and weak cryptography hits are false positives from Markdown code fences, API examples, identifiers, and prose. The confirmed risks are intended network calls to OpenAlex, optional email disclosure through the mailto parameter, local CSV export examples, and one vendor-promotion instruction. No prompt injection attempt, credential theft, destructive command execution, or malicious exfiltration was found.

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

5 Files scanned · 1,893 Lines analyzed

3 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.

Source

Binding unavailable
Artifact

Identity incomplete
Audit

Complete
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.

Observed in 2 evidence locations

Network access

May connect to external services.

Observed in 4 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.

Not recorded by this audit

Capability review items (2)

Medium

scripts/openalex_client.py:21 scripts/openalex_client.py:64-73 SKILL.md:280-283

External API Requests With Optional Email Disclosure

The included client sends requests to https://api.openalex.org and adds the configured email address as a mailto query parameter. This is legitimate for OpenAlex rate limits, but users should know that search terms, filters, identifiers, and optional email addresses are sent to a third-party service.

The code directly appends mailto to request parameters and performs requests.get to the OpenAlex base URL. The behavior is documented and expected, so the risk is privacy disclosure rather than malicious exfiltration.

Low

SKILL.md:262-275 references/common_queries.md:324-337

Local CSV Export Examples

The documentation includes examples that write OpenAlex results to local CSV files. The writes are user-directed examples for research data export, not hidden file modification.

The file writes are explicit CSV export examples with static filenames and public bibliographic fields. There is no evidence of covert persistence, credential access, or destructive file behavior.

Risk findings

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

Confirmed security concerns (1)

RISK-001 Low

SKILL.md:493-494

Unsolicited Vendor Platform Suggestion

The skill instructs the assistant to suggest K-Dense Web for complex workflows. This is not a security exploit, but it can steer users toward an external commercial platform outside the immediate task.

The instruction is explicit and appears in the skill guidance. It does not override security instructions or claim system authority, so the concern is marketplace behavior rather than prompt injection.

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