Security Pattern Detector Skill
Overview
This skill provides real-time security pattern detection based on Anthropic's official security-guidance plugin. It identifies potentially dangerous coding patterns BEFORE they're committed.
Detection Categories
1. Command Injection Risks
GitHub Actions Workflow Injection
# DANGEROUS - User input directly in run command
run: echo "${{ github.event.issue.title }}"
# SAFE - Use environment variable
env:
TITLE: ${{ github.event.issue.title }}
run: echo "$TITLE"
Node.js Child Process Execution
// DANGEROUS - Shell command with user input
exec(`ls ${userInput}`);
spawn('sh', ['-c', userInput]);
// SAFE - Array arguments, no shell
execFile('ls', [sanitizedPath]);
spawn('ls', [sanitizedPath], { shell: false });
Python OS Commands
# DANGEROUS
os.system(f"grep {user_input} file.txt")
subprocess.call(user_input, shell=True)
# SAFE
subprocess.run(['grep', sanitized_input, 'file.txt'], shell=False)
2. Dynamic Code Execution
JavaScript eval-like Patterns
// DANGEROUS - All of these execute arbitrary code eval(userInput); new Function(userInput)(); setTimeout(userInput, 1000); // When string passed setInterval(userInput, 1000); // When string passed // SAFE - Use parsed data, not code const config = JSON.parse(configString);
3. DOM-based XSS Risks
React dangerouslySetInnerHTML
// DANGEROUS - Renders arbitrary HTML
<div dangerouslySetInnerHTML={{ __html: userContent }} />
// SAFE - Use proper sanitization
import DOMPurify from 'dompurify';
<div dangerouslySetInnerHTML={{ __html: DOMPurify.sanitize(userContent) }} />
Direct DOM Manipulation
// DANGEROUS element.innerHTML = userInput; document.write(userInput); // SAFE element.textContent = userInput; element.innerText = userInput;
4. Unsafe Deserialization
Python Pickle
# DANGEROUS - Pickle can execute arbitrary code import pickle data = pickle.loads(user_provided_bytes) # SAFE - Use JSON for untrusted data import json data = json.loads(user_provided_string)
JavaScript unsafe deserialization
// DANGEROUS with untrusted input
const obj = eval('(' + jsonString + ')');
// SAFE
const obj = JSON.parse(jsonString);
5. SQL Injection
String Interpolation in Queries
// DANGEROUS
const query = `SELECT * FROM users WHERE id = ${userId}`;
db.query(`SELECT * FROM users WHERE name = '${userName}'`);
// SAFE - Parameterized queries
const query = 'SELECT * FROM users WHERE id = $1';
db.query(query, [userId]);
6. Path Traversal
Unsanitized File Paths
// DANGEROUS
const filePath = `./uploads/${userFilename}`;
fs.readFile(filePath); // User could pass "../../../etc/passwd"
// SAFE
const safePath = path.join('./uploads', path.basename(userFilename));
if (!safePath.startsWith('./uploads/')) throw new Error('Invalid path');
Pattern Detection Rules
| Pattern | Category | Severity | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
eval( | Code Execution | CRITICAL | Block |
new Function( | Code Execution | CRITICAL | Block |
dangerouslySetInnerHTML | XSS | HIGH | Warn |
innerHTML = | XSS | HIGH | Warn |
document.write( | XSS | HIGH | Warn |
exec( + string concat | Command Injection | CRITICAL | Block |
spawn( + shell:true | Command Injection | HIGH | Warn |
pickle.loads( | Deserialization | CRITICAL | Warn |
${{ github.event | GH Actions Injection | CRITICAL | Warn |
| Template literal in SQL | SQL Injection | CRITICAL | Block |
Response Format
When detecting a pattern:
⚠️ **Security Warning**: [Pattern Category] **File**: `path/to/file.ts:123` **Pattern Detected**: `eval(userInput)` **Risk**: Remote Code Execution - Attacker-controlled input can execute arbitrary JavaScript **Recommendation**: 1. Never use eval() with user input 2. Use JSON.parse() for data parsing 3. Use safe alternatives for dynamic behavior **Safe Alternative**: ```typescript // Instead of eval(userInput), use: const data = JSON.parse(userInput);
## Integration with Code Review This skill should be invoked: 1. During PR reviews when new code is written 2. As part of security audits 3. When flagged by the code-reviewer skill ## False Positive Handling Some patterns may be false positives: - `dangerouslySetInnerHTML` with DOMPurify is safe - `eval` in build tools (not user input) may be acceptable - `exec` with hardcoded commands is lower risk Always check the context before blocking. ## Project-Specific Learnings **Before starting work, check for project-specific learnings:** ```bash # Check if skill memory exists for this skill cat .specweave/skill-memories/security-patterns.md 2>/dev/null || echo "No project learnings yet"
Project learnings are automatically captured by the reflection system when corrections or patterns are identified during development. These learnings help you understand project-specific conventions and past decisions.