vulnerability-pattern-matcher

Vulnerability Pattern Matcher

Overview

This skill detects security vulnerabilities by matching code against a comprehensive database of known vulnerability patterns, insecure coding idioms, and historical CVE-style patterns. It identifies risky code, explains why each pattern is dangerous, assesses exploitability conditions, and provides severity ratings with confidence levels.

Detection Workflow

Follow these steps to detect and assess vulnerabilities:

1. Analyze Code Structure

Identify key security-relevant elements:

• User input sources (request parameters, form data, file uploads)
• Data sinks (database queries, file operations, command execution)
• Authentication and authorization mechanisms
• Cryptographic operations
• Network communications
• File and resource handling

Map data flow:

• Trace user input through the application
• Identify where untrusted data reaches sensitive operations
• Note any validation or sanitization applied

2. Match Vulnerability Patterns

Scan for known patterns:

• Injection vulnerabilities (SQL, NoSQL, LDAP, XSS, command injection)
• Authentication issues (hardcoded credentials, weak session management)
• Cryptographic failures (weak algorithms, insecure random numbers)
• Access control problems (IDOR, missing authorization)
• Deserialization vulnerabilities
• Path traversal and file inclusion
• SSRF and XXE
• Buffer overflows and memory safety
• Race conditions

For each match:

• Identify the specific pattern
• Note the exact code location
• Determine the vulnerability category

3. Assess Exploitability

For each detected vulnerability, evaluate:

Attack Complexity:

• Low: Simple exploit, no special conditions required
• Medium: Requires specific conditions, timing, or configuration
• High: Complex exploit chain, rare conditions, or significant obstacles

Privileges Required:

• None: Unauthenticated attacker can exploit
• Low: Basic user account needed
• High: Administrative or privileged access required