Disrupting supply chain attacks on NPM and GitHub Actions
16 hours ago
- Supply chain attacks on npm and GitHub Actions use techniques like phishing, pwn requests, and cache poisoning to spread malware and exfiltrate credentials.
- New protections include read-only mode for high-impact npm accounts after email/2FA changes, and safer defaults for actions/checkout to block untrusted code from pull requests.
- Administrators can set policies to control who triggers workflows and limit risky triggers, while read-only Actions cache prevents privilege escalation via shared cache poisoning.
- To disrupt credential exfiltration, npm now supports trusted publishing from CircleCI, and Actions network firewall logs outbound traffic (technical preview).
- Staged publishing on npm requires additional approval and 2FA before package releases; upcoming npm v12 disables install scripts and git/remote dependencies by default.
- Dependabot version updates include a three-day cooldown before opening pull requests, giving time for detection signals to surface; security updates remain immediate.
- Self-service credential revocation for incident response and expanded API support for OAuth/App tokens help quickly revoke leaked credentials.
- GitHub's long-term strategy focuses on making npm and Actions more secure by default, with continuous improvements targeting supply chain attack vectors.