CC linux-privilege-escalation
Execute systematic privilege escalation assessments on Linux systems to identify and exploit misconfigurations, vulnerable services, and security weaknesses that allow elevation from low-privilege user access to root-level control.
Execute systematic privilege escalation assessments on Linux systems to identify and exploit misconfigurations, vulnerable services, and security weaknesses…
As a process C 61/100 · Has gaps — weak spots: result and completion, when it triggers, failures and branches
What is at stake
Medium-severity findings: the skill is probably honest, but read what alarmed the scanner.
Below is the worst case for this category. The finding here is medium: the guard saw a sign, not a proof.
The instructions or scripts send data out: environment variables, keys, file contents, chat history. You may never notice, because the agent performs the upload as "part of the task".
If the upload is not needed for the task, remove it: catalogs flag such skills and delist them. If it is needed, name the destination explicitly, say what leaves the machine, and give the user a switch.
Below is the worst case for this category. The finding here is medium: the guard saw a sign, not a proof.
The skill contains commands that delete files, rewrite disks or execute code fetched from the network. The agent may run them without asking if it believes the instructions require it.
Replace destructive commands with safe equivalents that ask for confirmation, scope them to one folder, and stop piping curl into a shell: pin a version and a checksum.
How to improve
- Your own cases (evals/evals.json, 4–6 real requests with expected answers): the full check would then run those instead of a model-drafted suite.
- A spec.yaml with trigger phrases and assertions — a behaviour contract for CI; `skilltest init` writes a template.
Guard findings · 19
✓ No critical or high findings
Medium and low: 19
-
medium Exfiltration
exfil-read-secret-filesreferences/detailed-guide.md:292Reads credential / secret files (documentation of a security skill)base64 /etc/shadow | base64 -d > shadow.txt
security skill -
medium Dangerous commands
cmd-persistencereferences/detailed-guide.md:337Persistence mechanism (cron / launchd / scheduled task / autorun registry) (documentation of a security skill)cat /etc/crontab
security skill -
medium Dangerous commands
cmd-persistencereferences/detailed-guide.md:352Persistence mechanism (cron / launchd / scheduled task / autorun registry) (documentation of a security skill)# Identify writable cron script from /etc/crontab
security skill -
medium Exfiltration
exfil-read-secret-filesSKILL.md:77Reads credential / secret files (documentation of a security skill)$ base64 /etc/shadow | base64 -d
security skill -
medium Dangerous commands
cmd-persistenceSKILL.md:89Persistence mechanism (cron / launchd / scheduled task / autorun registry) (documentation of a security skill)$ cat /etc/crontab
security skill -
low Risky intent
intent-offensive-securityreferences/detailed-guide.md:1Offensive-security / dual-use content (legitimate for authorised testing; review intended use)# Linux Privilege Escalation - Detailed Guide
-
low Risky intent
intent-offensive-securityreferences/detailed-guide.md:7Offensive-security / dual-use content (legitimate for authorised testing; review intended use)Execute systematic privilege escalation assessments on Linux systems to identify and exploit misconfigurations, vulnerable services, and security weaknesses that allow elevation from low-privilege use
-
low Risky intent
intent-offensive-securityreferences/detailed-guide.md:15Offensive-security / dual-use content (legitimate for authorised testing; review intended use)- Network access for reverse shell connections (if needed)
-
low Risky intent
intent-offensive-securityreferences/detailed-guide.md:36Offensive-security / dual-use content (legitimate for authorised testing; review intended use)- Privilege escalation path documentation
-
low Risky intent
intent-offensive-securityreferences/detailed-guide.md:41Offensive-security / dual-use content (legitimate for authorised testing; review intended use)- Screenshots of successful privilege escalation
-
low Dangerous commands
cmd-privilegereferences/detailed-guide.md:230Privilege escalation / world-writable permissions (documentation of a security skill)sudo python -c 'import os; os.system("/bin/bash")'security skill -
low Dangerous commands
cmd-privilegereferences/detailed-guide.md:249Privilege escalation / world-writable permissions (documentation of a security skill)setuid(0);
security skill -
low Dangerous commands
cmd-persistencereferences/detailed-guide.md:404Persistence mechanism (cron / launchd / scheduled task / autorun registry) (documentation table row; documentation of a security skill)| Cron jobs | `cat /etc/crontab` |
tablesecurity skill -
low Risky intent
intent-offensive-securitySKILL.md:3Offensive-security / dual-use content (legitimate for authorised testing; review intended use)description: Execute systematic privilege escalation assessments on Linux systems to identify and exploit misconfigurations, vulnerable services, and security weaknesses that allow elevation from low-
-
low Risky intent
intent-offensive-securitySKILL.md:27Offensive-security / dual-use content (legitimate for authorised testing; review intended use)# Linux Privilege Escalation
-
low Risky intent
intent-offensive-securitySKILL.md:38Offensive-security / dual-use content (legitimate for authorised testing; review intended use)- Document all changes made during privilege escalation
A further 3 matches are quotations in this security skill's documentation and are not counted as findings.
Files scanned: 2. Evidence is masked. Grey chips explain why severity was lowered.
Against the Agent Skills spec
✓ No remarks against the Agent Skills spec
Process rating: all ten parameters 61/100
- 0Result and completion. Does not say what the result is
- 0Failures and branches. Linear process with no failure handling
- 0Progress reporting. Says nothing while it works
- 20When it triggers. No condition that starts the skill
- 70Inputs and preconditions. Inputs and preconditions are listed
- 100Tools and files. No external tools needed
- 100Steps. 12 steps
- 100Consistency. Name and required fields are in place
- 100Execution cost. Instruction body is 805 tokens
- 100Running it twice. No mutating operations
- medium Safety rules and hard prohibitions inside a skill: they belong in the system prompt, here they protect nothing
Everything here is measured from the skill text rather than judged by a model, so the numbers are checkable. A parameter weighs more when it is a more common reason for the process to stall.
Quality signals
- +5Description has no quoted example phrases that should trigger the skill
- +4Description does not say when NOT to use the skill (false activations)
- +3Output format is not stated: the model decides each time
- +1No license
- +2Single-language instructions
- +3Description length 231: enough signal without eating the budget
- +4Structure: 11 headings
- +3Step-by-step instructions: 12 items
- +4Has examples (3 code blocks)
- +4Reference files are cited in the instructions (1 of 1)
Quality base 70; lint remarks subtract, signals add up to 100. Result: 88.