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@essentialai/cogent-bridge@3.21.3: AI-agent control-surface risk | LPM Firewall

registry / @essentialai/cogent-bridge / 3.21.3

@essentialai/cogent-bridge@3.21.3

Cogent Bridge — cross-agent comms for Claude Code, OpenAI Codex and Slack. Codex users: install with `curl -fsSL https://cogent.tools/install.sh | sh`, then start with `cogent-codex` for real-time peer wake.

AI Security Review

scanned 1h ago · by lpm-firewall-ai

LPM flags this version as an AI-agent control-surface risk. On global npm installation, the postinstall script installs a managed Codex build and modifies Codex's plugin marketplace and installed plugins. These are unconsented changes to an external AI-agent control surface.

Static reason

High-risk behavior combination matched malicious policy.; source matched previously finalized malicious package; routed for review; source fingerprint signature matched known malicious package; routed for review; previous stored version diff introduced dangerous source

Trigger

npm install -g @essentialai/cogent-bridge

Impact

A package installation can execute remote code and add a third-party plugin to the user's Codex environment.

Mechanism

Lifecycle-driven remote shell installation and Codex plugin registration.

Policy narrative

Installing the package globally triggers its postinstall hook. The hook invokes a shell command that downloads and executes an installer from chatgpt.com, then uses the local Codex CLI to add a marketplace from GitHub and install the Cogent plugin. The script only runs for global installs, but it performs these changes automatically rather than through an explicit setup command.

Rationale

The global postinstall hook mutates a foreign, broad AI-agent control surface and executes a remote installer without consent. Its guards limit exposure but do not remove the concrete install-time behavior.

Evidence

package.jsonscripts/postinstall-global.mjs~/.codex/packages/standalone/current/codex

Network endpoints2

chatgpt.com/codex/install.sh

Source & flagged code

16 flagged · loading source

package.jsonView file

•scripts.postinstall = node scripts/postinstall-global.mjs

High

Install Time Lifecycle Scripts

Package defines install-time lifecycle scripts.

package.jsonView on unpkg

dist/bin/cogent-codex.jsView file

31*/ L32: import { spawn, spawnSync } from "node:child_process"; L33: import { realpathSync } from "node:fs"; ... L40: function log(msg) { L41: process.stderr.write(`[cogent-codex] ${msg}\n`); L42: } ... L91: log("setting up real-time wake — installing codex's managed build (one-time)…"); L92: const res = spawnSync("sh", ["-c", "curl -fsSL https://chatgpt.com/codex/install.sh | sh"], { L93: stdio: "inherit", ... L202: async function main() { L203: loadConfig(process.env); L204: const codexBin = getConfig().COGENT_CODEX_PATH;

Critical

Download Execute

Source downloads or fetches remote code and executes it.

dist/bin/cogent-codex.jsView on unpkg · L31

31Trigger-reachable chain: manifest.bin -> dist/bin/cogent-codex.js L31: */ L32: import { spawn, spawnSync } from "node:child_process"; L33: import { realpathSync } from "node:fs"; ... L40: function log(msg) { L41: process.stderr.write(`[cogent-codex] ${msg}\n`); L42: } ... L91: log("setting up real-time wake — installing codex's managed build (one-time)…"); L92: const res = spawnSync("sh", ["-c", "curl -fsSL https://chatgpt.com/codex/install.sh | sh"], { L93: stdio: "inherit", ... L202: async function main() { L203: loadConfig(process.env); L204: const codexBin = getConfig().COGENT_CODEX_PATH;

Critical

Trigger Reachable Dangerous Capability

A package entrypoint or install-time lifecycle script reaches a source file with blocking dangerous behavior.

dist/bin/cogent-codex.jsView on unpkg · L31

•matchType = previous_version_dangerous_delta matchedPackage = @essentialai/cogent-bridge@3.20.5 matchedIdentity = npm:[redacted]:3.20.5 similarity = 0.857 summary = stored previous version shares package body but lacks this dangerous source file

Critical

Previous Version Dangerous Delta

This package version adds a dangerous source file absent from the previous stored version; route for source-aware review.

dist/bin/cogent-codex.jsView on unpkg

31*/ L32: import { spawn, spawnSync } from "node:child_process"; L33: import { realpathSync } from "node:fs";

High

Child Process

Package source references child process execution.

dist/bin/cogent-codex.jsView on unpkg · L31

•matchType = normalized_sha256 matchedPackage = @essentialai/cogent-bridge@3.21.1 matchedPath = dist/bin/cogent-codex.js matchedIdentity = npm:[redacted]:3.21.1 similarity = 1.000 summary = normalized source hash matched finalized malicious source

High

Known Malware Source Similarity

Source file is highly similar to a previously finalized malicious package; route for source-aware review.

dist/bin/cogent-codex.jsView on unpkg

•matchType = malicious_source_fingerprint_signature signature = a01391dcdf102408 signatureType = suspicious_hashes sourceLabel = final_verdict:malicious matchedPackage = @essentialai/cogent-bridge@3.21.1 matchedPath = dist/bin/cogent-codex.js matchedIdentity = npm:[redacted]:3.21.1 similarity = 1.000 shingleOverlap = 45 summary = package final verdict is malicious

High

Known Malware Source Fingerprint Signature

Source fingerprint signature matches a known malicious package signature; route for source-aware review.

dist/bin/cogent-codex.jsView on unpkg

dist/constants.jsView file

8try { L9: const require = createRequire(import.meta.url); L10: return require("../package.json").version;

Medium

Dynamic Require

Package source references dynamic require/import behavior.

dist/constants.jsView on unpkg · L8

dist/backend/npm-update-check.js#virtual:normalized:round1View file

•stage = ast_semantic_analysis; reason = ast_parse_error; limitedFiles = 7

High

Semantic Analysis Limited

A bounded semantic-analysis stage reached its safety limit; remaining detectors completed, but this package requires AI review.

dist/backend/npm-update-check.js#virtual:normalized:round1View on unpkg

dist/services/codex-app-server.jsView file

•matchType = normalized_sha256 matchedPackage = @essentialai/cogent-bridge@3.21.1 matchedPath = dist/services/codex-app-server.js matchedIdentity = npm:[redacted]:3.21.1 similarity = 1.000 summary = normalized source hash matched finalized malicious source

High

Known Malware Source Similarity

Source file is highly similar to a previously finalized malicious package; route for source-aware review.

dist/services/codex-app-server.jsView on unpkg

dist/services/codex-preflight.jsView file

•matchType = normalized_sha256 matchedPackage = @essentialai/cogent-bridge@3.21.1 matchedPath = dist/services/codex-preflight.js matchedIdentity = npm:[redacted]:3.21.1 similarity = 1.000 summary = normalized source hash matched finalized malicious source

High

Known Malware Source Similarity

Source file is highly similar to a previously finalized malicious package; route for source-aware review.

dist/services/codex-preflight.jsView on unpkg

dist/startup.jsView file

•matchType = normalized_sha256 matchedPackage = @essentialai/cogent-bridge@3.21.1 matchedPath = dist/startup.js matchedIdentity = npm:[redacted]:3.21.1 similarity = 1.000 summary = normalized source hash matched finalized malicious source

High

Known Malware Source Similarity

Source file is highly similar to a previously finalized malicious package; route for source-aware review.

dist/startup.jsView on unpkg

scripts/postinstall-global.mjsView file

•matchType = normalized_sha256 matchedPackage = @essentialai/cogent-bridge@3.21.1 matchedPath = scripts/postinstall-global.mjs matchedIdentity = npm:[redacted]:3.21.1 similarity = 1.000 summary = normalized source hash matched finalized malicious source

High

Known Malware Source Similarity

Source file is highly similar to a previously finalized malicious package; route for source-aware review.

scripts/postinstall-global.mjsView on unpkg

dist/services/cc-cli.jsView file

•matchType = normalized_sha256 matchedPackage = @essentialai/cogent-bridge@3.21.1 matchedPath = dist/services/cc-cli.js matchedIdentity = npm:[redacted]:3.21.1 similarity = 1.000 summary = normalized source hash matched finalized malicious source

High

Known Malware Source Similarity

Source file is highly similar to a previously finalized malicious package; route for source-aware review.

dist/services/cc-cli.jsView on unpkg

dist/services/codex-cli.jsView file

•matchType = normalized_sha256 matchedPackage = @essentialai/cogent-bridge@3.21.1 matchedPath = dist/services/codex-cli.js matchedIdentity = npm:[redacted]:3.21.1 similarity = 1.000 summary = normalized source hash matched finalized malicious source

High

Known Malware Source Similarity

Source file is highly similar to a previously finalized malicious package; route for source-aware review.

dist/services/codex-cli.jsView on unpkg

dist/backend/npm-update-check.jsView file

•matchType = normalized_sha256 matchedPackage = @essentialai/cogent-bridge@3.21.1 matchedPath = dist/backend/npm[redacted] matchedIdentity = npm:[redacted]:3.21.1 similarity = 1.000 summary = normalized source hash matched finalized malicious source

High

Known Malware Source Similarity

Source file is highly similar to a previously finalized malicious package; route for source-aware review.

dist/backend/npm-update-check.jsView on unpkg