Software supply chain attack
Compromising software through what it is built from: a package, a build tool, a CI action or a maintainer’s account.
A modern app pulls in hundreds of packages, and each install can run code. Attackers publish look-alike names, take over maintainer accounts or slip malicious versions into popular packages, often aiming at developer machines and CI secrets. Lockfiles, pinned versions, a short delay before adopting new releases and CI tokens with minimal rights all shrink the blast radius.
Related terms
- SBOM (software bill of materials): A machine-readable list of every component and version inside a piece of software, like an ingredients label.
- Dependency updates (Dependabot, Renovate): Keeping libraries and frameworks current, usually with bots that open pull requests for new versions.
- Secrets management (leaked API keys): Keeping API keys, passwords and tokens out of code and chats, in a store with access control, rotation and audit.
