Source URL: https://developers.slashdot.org/story/24/09/07/0427219/github-actions-typosquatting-a-high-impact-supply-chain-attack-in-waiting?utm_source=rss1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feed
Source: Slashdot
Title: GitHub Actions Typosquatting: a High-Impact Supply Chain Attack-in-Waiting?
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Summary: The text discusses the vulnerabilities intrinsic to the GitHub Actions ecosystem, particularly focusing on the threat of typosquatting. It highlights how this form of attack can lead to significant risks in software supply chain security, underscoring the need for heightened vigilance by developers and security professionals.
Detailed Description: The article outlines a study conducted by researchers at Orca Security concerning the implications of typosquatting within the GitHub Actions ecosystem. Here are the major points emphasized in the analysis:
– **GitHub Actions Overview**:
– GitHub Actions allows developers to automate workflows triggered by certain events (e.g., code commits).
– It offers reusable workflows from the GitHub Marketplace, which contains thousands of public Actions.
– These Actions can serve as dependencies for one another, creating an interconnected ecosystem.
– **Typosquatting Vulnerability**:
– Researchers registered 14 misspelled GitHub organizations (e.g., “circelci” instead of “circleci”) to investigate typosquatting.
– Despite being a statistically rare occurrence, typos can lead to numerous potential victims among GitHub’s vast user base.
– **Impact of Results**:
– The study identified 194 workflow files incorrectly referencing the typosquatted “action” organization and found that 12 public repositories integrated the fake “actons” organization shortly after its creation.
– The researchers cautioned that their findings represent only public repositories; the number could be significantly higher in private repositories.
– **Consequences of Typosquatting**:
– Typosquatting allows for low-cost, high-impact attacks that can execute malicious actions against legitimate code.
– This poses a considerable risk of software supply chain attacks, compromising organizations that unknowingly use backdoored code.
– **Response from GitHub**:
– Out of the 14 organizations created for demonstration purposes, only one was suspended (the most commonly misspelled version).
– The delay in enforcement highlights potential gaps in GitHub’s monitoring and response mechanisms to such vulnerabilities.
This analysis underscores the need for enhanced security protocols and vigilance among developers using the GitHub Actions platform, emphasizing the importance of thorough vetting of third-party actions to mitigate supply chain risks and bolster overall software security.