home / skills / yoanbernabeu / supabase-pentest-skills / supabase-audit-buckets-public

supabase-audit-buckets-public skill

/skills/audit-storage/supabase-audit-buckets-public

This skill identifies publicly accessible storage buckets in Supabase and provides actionable remediation guidance to prevent data exposure.

npx playbooks add skill yoanbernabeu/supabase-pentest-skills --skill supabase-audit-buckets-public

Review the files below or copy the command above to add this skill to your agents.

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SKILL.md
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---
name: supabase-audit-buckets-public
description: Identify storage buckets that are publicly accessible and may contain sensitive data.
---

# Public Bucket Audit

> šŸ”“ **CRITICAL: PROGRESSIVE FILE UPDATES REQUIRED**
>
> You MUST write to context files **AS YOU GO**, not just at the end.
> - Write to `.sb-pentest-context.json` **IMMEDIATELY after each bucket analyzed**
> - Log to `.sb-pentest-audit.log` **BEFORE and AFTER each test**
> - **DO NOT** wait until the skill completes to update files
> - If the skill crashes or is interrupted, all prior findings must already be saved
>
> **This is not optional. Failure to write progressively is a critical error.**

This skill specifically focuses on identifying misconfigured public buckets and exposed sensitive content.

## When to Use This Skill

- Quick check for public bucket misconfigurations
- When you suspect sensitive data in public storage
- As a focused security check for storage
- Before deploying to production

## Prerequisites

- Supabase URL and anon key available

## Why Public Buckets Are Risky

Public buckets allow:

| Access Type | Description |
|-------------|-------------|
| Direct URL | Anyone with the URL can download |
| Enumeration | File listing may be possible |
| No Auth | No authentication required |
| Caching | CDN may cache sensitive files |

## Common Misconfiguration Scenarios

1. **Development mistake** — Bucket set public during development
2. **Wrong bucket** — Sensitive file uploaded to public bucket
3. **Legacy** — Bucket was public before RLS existed
4. **Intentional but wrong** — Assumed "nobody knows the URL"

## Usage

### Quick Public Bucket Check

```
Check for misconfigured public buckets
```

### Deep Scan

```
Deep scan public buckets for sensitive content
```

## Output Format

```
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
 PUBLIC BUCKET SECURITY AUDIT
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

 Project: abc123def.supabase.co

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 Public Bucket Discovery
 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

 Public Buckets Found: 3/5

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 1. avatars āœ… APPROPRIATE
 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

 Status: Public (Expected)
 Purpose: User profile pictures
 Content Analysis:
 ā”œā”€ā”€ All files are images (jpg, png, webp)
 ā”œā”€ā”€ No sensitive filenames detected
 ā”œā”€ā”€ File sizes appropriate for avatars (< 1MB)
 └── No metadata concerns

 Assessment: This bucket appropriately contains only
             public user-facing content.

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 2. uploads 🟠 P1 - NEEDS REVIEW
 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

 Status: Public (Unexpected for this content)
 Purpose: User file uploads

 Content Analysis:
 ā”œā”€ā”€ Mixed file types (PDF, DOC, images)
 ā”œā”€ā”€ Some sensitive filenames detected
 └── Should likely be private with RLS

 Sensitive Content Indicators:
 ā”œā”€ā”€ 12 files with 'invoice' in name
 ā”œā”€ā”€ 8 files with 'contract' in name
 ā”œā”€ā”€ 3 files with 'passport' in name
 └── 156 PDF files (may contain sensitive data)

 Risk Assessment:
 └── 🟠 User-uploaded content publicly accessible
     Anyone with filename can access any user's files

 Recommendation:
 ```sql
 -- Make bucket private
 UPDATE storage.buckets
 SET public = false
 WHERE name = 'uploads';

 -- Add user-specific RLS
 CREATE POLICY "Users access own uploads"
   ON storage.objects FOR ALL
   USING (
     bucket_id = 'uploads'
     AND auth.uid()::text = (storage.foldername(name))[1]
   );
 ```

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 3. backups šŸ”“ P0 - CRITICAL MISCONFIGURATION
 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

 Status: Public (SHOULD NEVER BE PUBLIC)
 Purpose: Database backups

 āš ļø CRITICAL: Backup files publicly accessible!

 Exposed Content:
 ā”œā”€ā”€ šŸ”“ db-backup-2025-01-30.sql (125MB)
 │   └── Full database dump with all user data
 ā”œā”€ā”€ šŸ”“ db-backup-2025-01-29.sql (124MB)
 │   └── Previous day backup
 ā”œā”€ā”€ šŸ”“ users-export.csv (2.3MB)
 │   └── User data export with emails, names
 ā”œā”€ā”€ šŸ”“ secrets.env (1KB)
 │   └── Contains API keys and passwords!
 └── šŸ”“ .env.production (1KB)
     └── Production environment secrets!

 Public URLs (Currently Accessible):
 https://abc123def.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/backups/db-backup-2025-01-30.sql
 https://abc123def.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/backups/secrets.env

 Impact:
 ā”œā”€ā”€ Complete database can be downloaded
 ā”œā”€ā”€ All user PII exposed
 ā”œā”€ā”€ All API secrets exposed
 └── Full application compromise possible

 ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
 🚨 IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED 🚨
 ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

 1. MAKE BUCKET PRIVATE NOW:
    ```sql
    UPDATE storage.buckets
    SET public = false
    WHERE name = 'backups';
    ```

 2. DELETE PUBLIC FILES:
    Delete or move all sensitive files from public access

 3. ROTATE ALL EXPOSED SECRETS:
    - Stripe API keys
    - Database passwords
    - JWT secrets
    - Any other keys in exposed files

 4. AUDIT ACCESS LOGS:
    Check if files were accessed by unauthorized parties

 5. INCIDENT RESPONSE:
    Consider this a data breach and follow your
    incident response procedures

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 Summary
 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

 Public Buckets: 3
 ā”œā”€ā”€ āœ… Appropriate: 1 (avatars)
 ā”œā”€ā”€ 🟠 P1 Review: 1 (uploads)
 └── šŸ”“ P0 Critical: 1 (backups)

 Exposed Sensitive Files: 47
 Exposed Secret Files: 2

 Critical Finding: Database backups and secrets
                   publicly accessible via direct URL

═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
```

## Bucket Classification

The skill classifies buckets by content:

| Classification | Criteria | Action |
|----------------|----------|--------|
| **Appropriate Public** | Profile images, public assets | None needed |
| **Needs Review** | User uploads, mixed content | Consider making private |
| **Critical Misconfiguration** | Backups, secrets, exports | Immediate remediation |

## Sensitive Content Patterns

### P0 - Critical (Never Public)

- `*.sql` - Database dumps
- `*.env*` - Environment files
- `*secret*`, `*credential*` - Secrets
- `*backup*` - Backup files
- `*export*` - Data exports

### P1 - High (Usually Private)

- `*invoice*`, `*payment*` - Financial
- `*contract*`, `*agreement*` - Legal
- `*passport*`, `*id*`, `*license*` - Identity
- User-uploaded documents

### P2 - Medium (Review Needed)

- Configuration files
- Log files
- Debug exports

## Context Output

```json
{
  "public_bucket_audit": {
    "timestamp": "2025-01-31T12:00:00Z",
    "public_buckets": 3,
    "findings": [
      {
        "bucket": "backups",
        "severity": "P0",
        "issue": "Database backups and secrets publicly accessible",
        "exposed_files": 45,
        "critical_files": [
          "db-backup-2025-01-30.sql",
          "secrets.env",
          ".env.production"
        ],
        "remediation": "Make bucket private immediately, rotate secrets"
      }
    ]
  }
}
```

## Prevention Checklist

After fixing issues, implement these controls:

### 1. Default Private Buckets

```sql
-- Supabase creates buckets public by default in UI
-- Always verify and change to private if needed
UPDATE storage.buckets
SET public = false
WHERE name = 'new-bucket';
```

### 2. Restrict Bucket Creation

```sql
-- Only allow admin to create buckets
REVOKE INSERT ON storage.buckets FROM authenticated;
REVOKE INSERT ON storage.buckets FROM anon;
```

### 3. File Upload Validation

```typescript
// Validate file type before upload
const allowedTypes = ['image/jpeg', 'image/png'];
if (!allowedTypes.includes(file.type)) {
  throw new Error('Invalid file type');
}

// Use user-specific paths
const path = `${user.id}/${file.name}`;
await supabase.storage.from('uploads').upload(path, file);
```

### 4. Regular Audits

Run this skill regularly:
- Before each production deployment
- Weekly automated scans
- After any storage configuration changes

## MANDATORY: Progressive Context File Updates

āš ļø **This skill MUST update tracking files PROGRESSIVELY during execution, NOT just at the end.**

### Critical Rule: Write As You Go

**DO NOT** batch all writes at the end. Instead:

1. **Before analyzing each bucket** → Log the action to `.sb-pentest-audit.log`
2. **After each misconfiguration found** → Immediately update `.sb-pentest-context.json`
3. **After each sensitive file detected** → Log the finding immediately

This ensures that if the skill is interrupted, crashes, or times out, all findings up to that point are preserved.

### Required Actions (Progressive)

1. **Update `.sb-pentest-context.json`** with results:
   ```json
   {
     "public_bucket_audit": {
       "timestamp": "...",
       "public_buckets": 3,
       "findings": [ ... ]
     }
   }
   ```

2. **Log to `.sb-pentest-audit.log`**:
   ```
   [TIMESTAMP] [supabase-audit-buckets-public] [START] Auditing public buckets
   [TIMESTAMP] [supabase-audit-buckets-public] [FINDING] P0: backups bucket is public
   [TIMESTAMP] [supabase-audit-buckets-public] [CONTEXT_UPDATED] .sb-pentest-context.json updated
   ```

3. **If files don't exist**, create them before writing.

**FAILURE TO UPDATE CONTEXT FILES IS NOT ACCEPTABLE.**

## MANDATORY: Evidence Collection

šŸ“ **Evidence Directory:** `.sb-pentest-evidence/04-storage-audit/public-url-tests/`

### Evidence Files to Create

| File | Content |
|------|---------|
| `public-url-tests/[bucket]-access.json` | Public URL access test results |
| `public-url-tests/sensitive-content.json` | Sensitive content found |

### Evidence Format

```json
{
  "evidence_id": "STG-PUB-001",
  "timestamp": "2025-01-31T10:45:00Z",
  "category": "storage-audit",
  "type": "public_bucket_audit",
  "severity": "P0",

  "bucket": "backups",

  "public_url_test": {
    "url": "https://abc123def.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/backups/secrets.env",
    "curl_command": "curl -I 'https://abc123def.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/backups/secrets.env'",
    "response_status": 200,
    "content_type": "text/plain",
    "accessible": true
  },

  "assessment": {
    "classification": "critical_misconfiguration",
    "should_be_public": false,
    "contains_sensitive_data": true,
    "file_types_exposed": ["sql", "env", "csv"]
  },

  "remediation": {
    "immediate": "UPDATE storage.buckets SET public = false WHERE name = 'backups';",
    "secrets_to_rotate": ["All keys in secrets.env"],
    "incident_response": "Consider this a data breach"
  }
}
```

## Related Skills

- `supabase-audit-buckets-list` — List all buckets
- `supabase-audit-buckets-read` — Test file access
- `supabase-report` — Generate comprehensive report

Overview

This skill discovers Supabase storage buckets that are publicly accessible and flags buckets containing potentially sensitive content. It provides clear classification (appropriate, needs review, critical) and actionable remediation steps to secure exposed data. The skill is optimized for quick checks and deeper scans before production deployments.

How this skill works

The skill enumerates storage buckets and tests public object access using the Supabase storage public object endpoint. It inspects filenames, file types, and simple content indicators (extensions and keywords) to classify findings into severity levels (P0, P1, P2). For each bucket tested it records timestamps, findings, and recommended SQL or policy changes.

When to use it

  • Before deploying to production to verify storage configuration
  • When you suspect user uploads or backups are accessible publicly
  • As part of routine security scans or pre-deployment checklists
  • After storage configuration changes or permission updates
  • During incident response when confirming exposure of specific files

Best practices

  • Treat backups and .env files as P0 — they must never be public
  • Make new buckets private by default and grant create/insert rights only to admins
  • Use user-specific paths and RLS-based policies for user uploads
  • Run this audit regularly and integrate into CI/CD pre-deploy checks
  • Log and persist findings progressively while scanning to avoid data loss

Example use cases

  • Quick scan that lists public buckets and marks obvious safe assets like public avatars
  • Deep scan that enumerates files, detects keywords like 'secret', 'backup', 'invoice', and classifies severity
  • Immediate emergency check when a team reports leaked URLs to identify exposed backups or secrets
  • Automated weekly scheduled audit that writes findings to a context file and evidence directory
  • Pre-deployment validation to ensure no user-upload buckets are accidentally public

FAQ

What file patterns are considered critical?

Patterns like *.sql, *.env, *secret*, *backup*, and *export* are treated as P0 (critical) and should never be public.

What immediate actions are recommended for a critical finding?

Make the bucket private via UPDATE storage.buckets SET public = false WHERE name = '<bucket>'; remove or move exposed files; rotate any exposed secrets; and follow incident response procedures.