[Free Security Checkup] assafelovic/GPT-Researcher — Top risks & quick fixes

[ruiflow-team]

Free Security Checkup: assafelovic/GPT-Researcher Security Checkup Report: assafelovic/GPT-Researcher (★22K) 1. Project Overview GPT-Researcher is an open-source AI research agent that autonomously scrapes web content, synthesizes information, and generates reports – exposing it to classic scraping, data flow, and credential risks. 2. Top 3 Security Risks - Exposed API Keys in Client-Side or Logs (HIGH) The agent often requires OpenAI/SerpAPI keys. Code or config examples may accidentally commit keys to public repos, or logs could capture them during debugging. - Unrestricted Web Scraping Leading to Data Leakage (MEDIUM) No built-in URL whitelisting or rate limiting. An attacker could trick the agent into scraping internal services (e.g., localhost, cloud metadata endpoints) or exfiltrating sensitive data via crafted prompts. - Insecure Output Handling (MEDIUM) Generated reports may include scraped content containing PII or secrets. Without sanitization, these can be stored or displayed, violating data privacy policies. 3. Quick Fix Recommendations - Rotate & store all API keys in environment variables (never in code). Add .gitignore for .env files and audit commit history for leaked keys. - Implement URL allowlist & rate limiting in scraper module to prevent SSRF and abuse. - Sanitize scraped content before storing or outputting – strip sensitive patterns (emails, tokens) and enforce user data minimization. 4. Our Offer ✅ Free initial checkup – this report covers top surface risks. 🔍 ¥99 deep audit – full code review, dependency vulnerability scan, and custom hardening recommendations. Contact us to schedule your deep audit today.