Execute this skill enables AI assistant to conduct a security-focused code review using the security-agent plugin. it analyzes code for potential vulnerabilities like sql injection, xss, authentication flaws, and insecure dependencies. AI assistant uses this skill wh... Use when assessing security or running audits. Trigger with phrases like 'security scan', 'audit', or 'vulnerability'.
Conducts security-focused code reviews by scanning source files for common vulnerability patterns including SQL injection, XSS, authentication flaws, insecure dependencies, and secret exposure. Produces structured severity-rated reports with specific remediation guidance.
Prerequisites
Read access to all source files in the target project
grep available on PATH for pattern matching
Access to package.json or equivalent dependency manifest for dependency auditing
Familiarity with OWASP Top 10 vulnerability categories
Instructions
Identify the scope of the review: specific files, directories, or the entire codebase. Confirm the primary language(s) and framework(s) in use.
Scan for hardcoded secrets and credentials:
Search for patterns matching API keys, tokens, passwords, AWS access keys (AKIA...), and private key headers (BEGIN PRIVATE KEY).
Flag any .env files or configuration files containing plaintext secrets.
Analyze code for injection vulnerabilities:
Identify raw SQL string concatenation (SQL injection risk).
Locate unsanitized user input rendered in HTML (XSS risk).
Check for eval(), exec(), or Function() calls with dynamic input (code injection risk).
Review authentication and authorization logic:
Verify password hashing uses strong algorithms (bcrypt, argon2) rather than MD5/SHA1.
Check for missing authentication on sensitive endpoints.
Identify overly permissive CORS configurations.
Audit dependencies for known vulnerabilities:
Run npm audit or equivalent package manager audit command.
Cross-reference dependency versions against known CVE databases.
Check for insecure communication patterns:
Flag HTTP URLs where HTTPS is expected.
Identify disabled TLS certificate verification.
Compile findings into a structured report sorted by severity (Critical, High, Medium, Low), including the vulnerable code location, explanation, and remediation steps.
Output
A structured security review report containing:
Summary with total findings count by severity level
Per-finding entries with: file path, line number, vulnerability type, severity, code snippet, explanation, and recommended fix
Dependency audit results with CVE identifiers where applicable
Overall risk assessment (Critical / High / Medium / Low / Clean)
Error Handling
Error
Cause
Solution
No source files found
Incorrect scope path or empty directory
Verify the target directory path and confirm it contains source files
Binary files in scan
Non-text files matched by search patterns
Exclude binary extensions and node_modules/ from scans
Dependency manifest missing
No package.json, requirements.txt, or equivalent
Skip dependency audit; note in report that dependency analysis was not possible
Permission denied on files
Restricted file access
Request read permissions or narrow the review scope to accessible files
False positive on secret pattern
Benign string matching secret regex
Verify context before reporting; mark as potential false positive if the match appears in test fixtures or documentation
Examples
SQL injection review:
Trigger: "Review this database query code for SQL injection vulnerabilities."
Process: Scan all files containing SQL query construction. Identify string concatenation with user input ("SELECT * FROM users WHERE id = " + userId). Report as High severity with remediation: use parameterized queries or prepared statements.
Dependency vulnerability scan:
Trigger: "Check this project's dependencies for known security vulnerabilities."
Process: Run npm audit on the project. Parse output for vulnerabilities. Report each finding with CVE identifier, affected package, installed version, and patched version. Recommend npm audit fix or manual version pinning.
Full codebase security audit:
Trigger: "Run a security scan on this codebase."
Process: Execute all seven scan categories (secrets, injection, auth, dependencies, communication, dangerous commands, obfuscation). Produce a comprehensive report with findings grouped by category and sorted by severity.
Resources
OWASP Top 10 -- industry-standard vulnerability classification
