Company
Date Published
Author
Andrey Polkovnychenko and Shachar Menashe
Word count
1899
Language
English
Hacker News points
None

Summary

A recent exploration into the vulnerabilities of npm packages highlights the risk associated with domain takeover attacks, where attackers exploit expired email domains tied to npm maintainers to gain unauthorized access. This method allows attackers to hijack npm packages by purchasing expired domains, intercepting temporary passwords sent via npm's password recovery system, and potentially injecting malicious code. The analysis found that thousands of npm packages could be vulnerable due to maintainers having email domains available for purchase. However, security measures such as mandatory two-factor authentication (2FA) for top npm packages mitigate this risk, although dependencies on less secure packages could still pose threats. JFrog Security has developed a tool, npm_domain_check, to automate the detection of these vulnerabilities, encouraging package maintainers to update their information and enforce 2FA to protect against potential hijacking. The study underscores the importance of vigilance and proactive security measures in maintaining the integrity of software supply chains.