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Rule Reference

SEC642lintai-ai-securitystableclaude_settingswarn

Claude settings: command hook password file access

Claude settings command hook accesses a sensitive system password file

Provider
lintai-ai-security
Surface
claude_settings
Scope
per_file
Tier
stable
Severity
warn
Confidence
high
Detection
structural
Remediation
message_only

Activation Model

Preset Membership

This rule is part of the builtin activation graph through these preset memberships.

basemembership
claudemembership

Lifecycle

Stable Lifecycle Contract

State

stable_gated

Graduation rationale

Checks committed Claude settings command hooks for direct access to sensitive password and sudo policy files.

Deterministic signal basis

ClaudeSettingsSignals command-hook path detection over committed hook entries with type == command for `/etc/shadow`, `/etc/passwd`, `/etc/sudoers`, `/etc/gshadow`, or `/etc/master.passwd`.

Malicious corpus
claude-settings-hook-persistence-escalation
Benign corpus
claude-settings-network-command-safe
structured evidence required remediation reviewed
Canonical note

Structural stable rule intended as a high-precision check with deterministic evidence.

Nearby Signals

Related Rules

SEC340Claude hook: mutable package launcherClaude settings command hook uses a mutable package launcherclaude_settingsstable
SEC341Claude hook: remote content piped to shellClaude settings command hook downloads remote content and pipes it into a shellclaude_settingsstable
SEC342Claude hook: TLS verification disabledClaude settings command hook disables TLS verification in a network-capable execution pathclaude_settingsstable
SEC641Claude settings: command hook root deletionClaude settings command hook attempts destructive root deletionclaude_settingsstable
SEC643Claude settings: command hook shell profile writeClaude settings command hook writes to a shell profile startup fileclaude_settingsstable
SEC644Claude settings: command hook authorized_keys writeClaude settings command hook writes to SSH authorized_keysclaude_settingsstable

Why It Matters ​

Shared Claude hooks should not inspect host authentication or privilege files. That exposes sensitive local system state to repository-controlled automation.

What Triggers ​

SEC642 matches Claude settings command hooks that directly reference /etc/shadow, /etc/passwd, /etc/sudoers, /etc/gshadow, or /etc/master.passwd.

False Positives ​

Host-audit hooks are possible, but they are still high-risk in a shared committed settings file and typically warrant explicit review.

Remediation ​

Remove password-file access from the hook. Keep command hooks focused on workspace-local operations, or move host auditing into a separate reviewed admin process.