Have you ever received an email that appeared to be completely legit, only to later realize it was potentially fraudulent? Yes, this did happen in this npm phishing attack. Some phony emails duped developers, and before any person was aware what was going on, the hackers were inside the system. For coders or even end-users using apps developed by others, this is a story you must know about.
How hackers got through:
• They gained login credentials for developer's logins
• They published fake packages that contained hidden malware
• They deployed a worm that transferred the infection to other npm projects
What's scary? Those were packages being used by millions of developers, allowing the attack to spead rapidly.
It all started simply from a phishing email, all it took was one link clicked to unleash everything.
Ask:
• Is this a real person?
• Is this link going back to the npm website?
• Do I have security alerts set up on my account?
Even better, use 2FA (two-factor authentication) and check your account logs regularly.
The Story
Hackers sent emails to developers, impersonating npm support. The emails urged developers to "update", or "validate" their email accounts. Some developers fell victim to the emails, and this is when things started to go sideways.How hackers got through:
• They gained login credentials for developer's logins
• They published fake packages that contained hidden malware
• They deployed a worm that transferred the infection to other npm projects
What's scary? Those were packages being used by millions of developers, allowing the attack to spead rapidly.
The Significance of this Incident
This was not a single small project infecting other projects, its Kremlin was visible in popular npm projects grabbing tokens and login information.It all started simply from a phishing email, all it took was one link clicked to unleash everything.
How Advanced Email Defense Stopped the Incident
How did advanced email defense stop the incident? It garnered small yet clever signals that a normal filter would have missed like,- Fake domains that resembled the real npm site (ex: npmjs.help)
- The email "passed" security checks yet still contained suspicious links or attachments.
- The account logged in from a new location or the account uploaded code that seemed suspicious.
Things to Remember
If you receive an email regarding your developer account, don't reply to the email immediately, and if you are unsure, look into the email.Ask:
• Is this a real person?
• Is this link going back to the npm website?
• Do I have security alerts set up on my account?
Even better, use 2FA (two-factor authentication) and check your account logs regularly.
