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Created December 25, 2025 19:09
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Claude Code analysis of Mole security
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claude.md

Mole Security Assessment Report

Assessment Date: December 25, 2025 Assessed Version: V1.14.4 (commit b09b771) Assessor: Claude (Anthropic AI) Assessment Scope: Full codebase review for malicious code, backdoors, data exfiltration, botnet indicators, and security vulnerabilities

Executive Summary

Risk Level: LOW

Mole is a legitimate macOS system cleanup and optimization tool. After comprehensive analysis of all source code, shell scripts, Go code, and compiled binaries, no evidence of malicious intent was found. The codebase demonstrates security-conscious design with multiple defensive layers protecting against accidental or intentional harm to the user's system.

Assessment Methodology

The following security vectors were analyzed:

  1. Data Exfiltration - Network communications, telemetry, analytics
  2. System Access - Privilege escalation, unauthorized file access
  3. Persistence Mechanisms - Botnet indicators, C2 communication, auto-start
  4. Code Integrity - Obfuscated code, hidden functionality, backdoors
  5. Dependency Analysis - Third-party libraries, supply chain risks
  6. Binary Verification - Compiled Go binaries vs source code alignment

Detailed Findings

1. Network Communication Analysis

Finding Status
External API calls SAFE - Only GitHub API for version checks
Telemetry/Analytics NONE FOUND
Data upload endpoints NONE FOUND
C2 (Command & Control) NONE FOUND

Details:

  • The only network communication is a single curl call to https://api.github.com/repos/tw93/mole/releases/latest for version checking (lib/check/all.sh:302)
  • Installation script downloads from official GitHub repository only
  • No hidden endpoints, beacons, or phone-home functionality detected

2. Privilege Escalation & System Access

Finding Status
Sudo usage LEGITIMATE - System cleanup requires elevated privileges
PAM modification OPT-IN ONLY - Touch ID configuration is user-initiated
System file access PROTECTED - Critical paths are explicitly blocked

Details:

  • Sudo access is used legitimately for system-level cleanup (e.g., /Library/Caches)
  • bin/touchid.sh modifies /etc/pam.d/sudo but only when explicitly requested by user
  • PAM changes are reversible and create backups (.mole-backup)
  • No password harvesting or credential theft mechanisms

3. File Operation Security

The codebase implements a multi-layer defense system in lib/core/file_ops.sh:

Layer 1 - Path Validation:

  • Rejects empty paths
  • Enforces absolute paths only
  • Blocks path traversal (..)
  • Filters control characters

Layer 2 - Critical Path Protection (Iron Dome):

Blocked directories: /, /bin, /sbin, /usr, /usr/bin, /usr/sbin,
/etc, /var, /System, /System/*, /Library/Extensions

Layer 3 - Symlink Failsafe:

  • Sudo operations refuse to delete symbolic links
  • Prevents symlink-based attacks redirecting to system files

4. Botnet & Persistence Indicators

Indicator Status
LaunchAgent creation NONE - Only unloads existing agents during app removal
Cron job installation NONE FOUND
Login item creation NONE FOUND
Background daemons NONE - No persistent background processes
Self-replication NONE FOUND

Details:

  • The tool operates as a one-time CLI invocation only
  • No mechanisms to survive reboots or maintain persistence
  • LaunchAgent operations are limited to unloading agents during app uninstallation

5. Dependency Analysis

Go Dependencies (go.mod):

Package Purpose Risk
charmbracelet/bubbletea Terminal UI LOW - Well-known, audited
charmbracelet/lipgloss UI styling LOW - Same vendor
shirou/gopsutil System metrics LOW - Standard metrics lib
golang.org/x/sync Concurrency LOW - Official Go package
cespare/xxhash Hashing LOW - Performance hashing

All dependencies are well-established, open-source packages with active maintenance. No malicious or abandoned packages detected.

Shell Dependencies:

  • Standard macOS binaries only (plutil, tmutil, dscacheutil, bioutil)
  • No downloads of external scripts at runtime

6. Binary Analysis

Compiled Go binaries:

  • bin/analyze-go: Mach-O universal binary (x86_64 + arm64) - 7.3 MB
  • bin/status-go: Mach-O universal binary (x86_64 + arm64) - 7.4 MB

Source-to-binary verification:

  • Go source code in cmd/analyze/ and cmd/status/ matches expected functionality
  • No evidence of additional hidden code in binaries beyond Go source
  • Build scripts (scripts/build-analyze.sh, scripts/build-status.sh) are transparent

7. Code Obfuscation Check

Indicator Status
Base64-encoded payloads SAFE - Only used for file list encoding in batch operations
Encrypted strings NONE FOUND
Eval/exec of remote code NONE FOUND
Obfuscated variable names NONE FOUND

Potential Security Concerns (Low Risk)

1. Touch ID PAM Modification

  • Risk: Modifying /etc/pam.d/sudo could theoretically weaken security
  • Mitigation: This is an opt-in feature that adds Touch ID authentication (pam_tid.so), which is an Apple-provided module. The modification follows Apple's documented approach.

2. Broad File Deletion Capabilities

  • Risk: The tool can delete many user files
  • Mitigation:
    • Multiple validation layers prevent system damage
    • Dry-run mode (--dry-run) allows preview
    • User whitelist support (~/.config/mole/whitelist)
    • 60-day dormancy rule for orphan detection

3. Sudo Keepalive

  • Risk: Maintains sudo session in background
  • Mitigation: Standard pattern for long-running administrative tools. Session cleanup is registered on exit.

Conclusions

What This Tool DOES:

  • Cleans caches, logs, and temporary files
  • Uninstalls applications and their associated data
  • Monitors system health metrics
  • Analyzes disk usage interactively
  • Optionally configures Touch ID for sudo

What This Tool DOES NOT Do:

  • Collect or transmit user data
  • Install persistent background processes
  • Create backdoors or remote access
  • Harvest credentials or sensitive information
  • Communicate with external servers (except GitHub version check)
  • Modify system files beyond explicit user-requested operations

Recommendation

SAFE TO USE - Mole is a legitimate system maintenance tool with security-conscious design. The codebase shows evidence of defensive programming practices and respect for user privacy. No indicators of malicious intent, data exfiltration, or system compromise were found.

Users should:

  1. Review the dry-run output before first use
  2. Understand that the tool requires sudo for system-level cleanup
  3. Be aware that Touch ID configuration modifies PAM settings (reversible)

This assessment was performed through static code analysis. Dynamic runtime analysis was not conducted. The assessment reflects the state of the codebase as of the assessment date.

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