diff --git a/src/skillspector/nodes/analyzers/static_patterns_data_exfiltration.py b/src/skillspector/nodes/analyzers/static_patterns_data_exfiltration.py
index e49ff42a..6d91b5c9 100644
--- a/src/skillspector/nodes/analyzers/static_patterns_data_exfiltration.py
+++ b/src/skillspector/nodes/analyzers/static_patterns_data_exfiltration.py
@@ -58,9 +58,14 @@
     ),
 ]
 E2_PYTHON_FALLBACK_PATTERNS = [
+    # Python: for k, v in os.environ.items() — whitespace-tolerant
     (r"for\s+\w+\s*,\s*\w+\s+in\s+os\s*\.\s*environ\s*\.\s*items\s*\(\s*\)", 0.7),
+    # Python: os.environ.copy() — full environ read
     (r"os\s*\.\s*environ\s*\.\s*copy\s*\(\s*\)", 0.6),
+    # Python: dict(os.environ) — full environ read via dict()
     (r"dict\s*\(\s*os\s*\.\s*environ\s*\)", 0.6),
+    # Python: {**os.environ} — full environ read via dict-spread.
+    # Require braces so bare ``2 ** os.environ`` (exponentiation) is not flagged.
     (r"\{\s*\*\*\s*os\s*\.\s*environ\s*\}", 0.6),
 ]
 E2_OTHER_PATTERNS = [
diff --git a/tests/nodes/analyzers/test_static_patterns.py b/tests/nodes/analyzers/test_static_patterns.py
index 05fe19fc..e05e1ce4 100644
--- a/tests/nodes/analyzers/test_static_patterns.py
+++ b/tests/nodes/analyzers/test_static_patterns.py
@@ -333,6 +333,44 @@ def test_e2_env_harvesting_produces_finding(self):
         e2 = next(f for f in findings if f.rule_id == "E2")
         assert e2.severity == "HIGH"
 
+    def test_e2_whitespace_tolerant_environ_access(self):
+        """Whitespace-obfuscated full-environ reads are still detected."""
+        state = {
+            "components": ["script.py"],
+            "file_cache": {
+                "script.py": "import os\nx = os . environ . copy ()\ny = dict ( os.environ )\nz = { ** os.environ }",
+            },
+        }
+        findings = static_runner.run_static_patterns(state, [data_exfiltration_module])
+        e2 = [f for f in findings if f.rule_id == "E2"]
+        assert len(e2) >= 3
+
+    def test_e2_exponentiation_not_flagged(self):
+        """Bare ``2 ** os.environ`` (exponentiation) must not be flagged as E2."""
+        # Malformed Python (triggers regex fallback) with exponentiation
+        state = {
+            "components": ["script.py"],
+            "file_cache": {
+                "script.py": "import os\nresult = 2 ** os.environ\n   def broken(",
+            },
+        }
+        findings = static_runner.run_static_patterns(state, [data_exfiltration_module])
+        e2 = [f for f in findings if f.rule_id == "E2"]
+        # Should NOT flag the exponentiation as env harvesting
+        assert not any("**" in f.matched_text for f in e2)
+
+    def test_e2_dict_spread_environ_flagged(self):
+        """``{**os.environ}`` (dict spread) is flagged as full environ read."""
+        state = {
+            "components": ["script.py"],
+            "file_cache": {
+                "script.py": "import os\nenv_copy = {**os.environ}",
+            },
+        }
+        findings = static_runner.run_static_patterns(state, [data_exfiltration_module])
+        e2 = [f for f in findings if f.rule_id == "E2"]
+        assert len(e2) >= 1
+
     def test_e5_boto3_put_object_produces_finding(self):
         """boto3 put_object yields E5, MEDIUM severity."""
         state = {