As many as eight Python packages that were downloaded more than
30,000 times have been removed from the PyPI portal for containing
malicious code, once again highlighting how software package
repositories are evolving into a popular target for supply chain
attacks.
“Lack of moderation and automated security controls in public
software repositories allow even inexperienced attackers to use
them as a platform to spread malware, whether through
typosquatting, dependency confusion, or simple social engineering
attacks,” JFrog researchers Andrey Polkovnichenko, Omer Kaspi, and
Shachar Menashe said[1]
Thursday.
PyPI, short for Python Package Index, is the official
third-party software repository for Python, with package manager
utilities like pip[2]
relying on it as the default source for packages and their
dependencies.
The Python packages in question, which were found to be
obfuscated using Base64 encoding, are listed below –
- pytagora (uploaded by leonora123)
- pytagora2 (uploaded by leonora123)
- noblesse (uploaded by xin1111)
- genesisbot (uploaded by xin1111)
- are (uploaded by xin1111)
- suffer (uploaded by suffer)
- noblesse2 (uploaded by suffer)
- noblessev2 (uploaded by suffer)
The aforementioned packages could be abused to become an entry
point for more sophisticated threats, enabling the attacker to
execute remote code on the target machine, amass system
information, plunder credit card information and passwords
auto-saved in Chrome and Edge browsers, and even steal Discord
authentication tokens to impersonate the victim.
PyPI is hardly alone among software package repositories that
have emerged as a potential attack surface for intruders, with
malicious packages uncovered in npm[3]
and RubyGems[4]
equipped with capabilities that could potentially disrupt a whole
system or serve as a valuable jumping-off point for burrowing
deeper into a victim’s network.
Last month, Sonatype[5]
and Vdoo[6]
disclosed typosquatted packages in PyPi that were found to download
and execute a payload shell script that, in turn, retrieved a
third-party cryptominer such as T-Rex, ubqminer, or PhoenixMiner
for mining Ethereum and Ubiq on victim systems.
“The continued discovery of malicious software packages in
popular repositories like PyPI is an alarming trend that can lead
to widespread supply chain attacks,” said JFrog CTO Asaf Karas.
“The ability for attackers to use simple obfuscation techniques to
introduce malware means developers have to be concerned and
vigilant. This is a systemic threat, and it needs to be actively
addressed on several layers, both by the maintainers of software
repositories and by the developers.”
“On the developers’ side, preventive measures such as
verification of library signatures, and employing automated
application security tools that scan for hints of suspicious code
included in the project, should be an integral part of any CI/CD
pipeline. Automated tools such as these can alert when malicious
code paradigms are being used,” Karas added.