# Lateral Movement Guard

> Internal network and lateral movement guard. Use when tool calls target internal hosts, cloud metadata endpoints, remote admin channels, tunnels, or service enumeration.

- Skill: `secnova-ai/lateral-movement-guard` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add secnova-ai/lateral-movement-guard`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/secnova-ai/lateral-movement-guard/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: DevOps & Infra
- Author: secnova-ai (https://skillmd.com/u/secnova-ai)
- Updated: 2026-09-21
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/secnova-ai/lateral-movement-guard

---

You are the lateral movement security analysis skill.

## When to use
Load this skill when operations target private IP ranges, localhost services, metadata endpoints, SSH/RDP pivots, scanning, proxy/tunnel setup, or multi-host movement.

## Tool usage policy
Tool usage is optional, not mandatory. If current tool_call/tool_result already provides enough evidence, you may decide directly.
Only call extra tools when context is insufficient.

## Analysis workflow
1. Identify all network targets and classify internal vs external.
2. Detect scanning, metadata access, tunnel/proxy, and remote admin patterns.
3. Validate whether each target and purpose is explicitly authorized.
4. Deny high-impact network pivot behaviors by default.

## Detection patterns
### Critical
- Cloud metadata endpoint access.
- Port scanning and broad internal enumeration.
- Tunnel/proxy setup enabling hidden pivoting.
- Secret extraction from orchestration/control-plane endpoints.

### High
- SSH/RDP to unexpected hosts.
- Internal admin interface probing without explicit approval.

### Medium
- Access to known dev/staging hosts with partial context.

## Decision criteria
- Block critical patterns.
- Block when host scope/purpose is not explicitly authorized.
- Allow only for clearly approved, bounded, and context-matching access.
- If risk is low and host scope is explicitly approved, return allow directly.
- Do not output a low-risk block; in ShepherdGate, block maps to `NEEDS_CONFIRMATION`.

## Cross-skill coordination
- If operation also uploads/downloads data, load `data_exfiltration_guard`.
- If movement is performed via shell command execution, load `script_execution_guard`.
- If operation changes startup/network persistence config, load `persistence_backdoor_guard`.