List of software quality issues with the number of affected components.
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Problem
Proprietary ReversingLabs analysis engine supports a wide range of commonly used archive and software packaging formats. Using automated static file decomposition technologies, the engine recursively analyzes complex software packages. Software analysis is typically conducted in multiple steps. Content identification, unpacking, validation, and classification are some of the steps performed on each analyzed file. The analysis engine may sometimes report file integrity problems while performing unpacking or validation steps. In this case, no content was extracted from the package before an analysis error was encountered. This issue is commonly reported for packages with content that may be incomplete or corrupted. In rare occurrences this issue may indicate a problem with the analysis engine's file format parsing functions.
Prevalence in npm community
0 packages
found in
Top 100
0 packages
found in
Top 1k
21 packages
found in
Top 10k
4.12k packages
in community
Next steps
Confirm that the software package contains incomplete or corrupted content.
Create a new version of the software package that resolves content integrity issues.
Contact the ReversingLabs support team if you suspect that the analysis engine may be causing the issue.
Problem
Software components are typically distributed in standardized packaging formats. Software packages are built from instructions written within package manifests that act as blueprints for package assembly. A package manifest declares the most important software properties, such as the package name, its authors and license, external dependencies, and various actions that may occur during the package lifecycle. Package managers are specialized tools used by developers to manage software components. Package managers read these manifests to deploy software components along with their dependencies. The premise of the package management system is that software components are isolated from each other, and that they rely on the package manager to provide their dependencies. However, it was detected that a software component includes code capable of accessing or modifying directories that are maintained exclusively by package managers. This is unusual as it resembles tactics used by threat actors that tamper with installed software components and inject malicious code into trusted execution paths.
Prevalence in npm community
4 packages
found in
Top 100
24 packages
found in
Top 1k
486 packages
found in
Top 10k
158.37k packages
in community
Next steps
Investigate reported detections as indicators of software tampering.
Consider rewriting the flagged code without using the marked behaviors.
Problem
Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) are structured addresses that point to locations and assets on the internet. URLs allow software developers to build complex applications that exchange data with servers that can be hosted in multiple geographical regions. URLs can commonly be found embedded in documentation, configuration files, source code and compiled binaries. One or more embedded URLs were discovered to link to raw files hosted on GitHub. Attackers often abuse popular web services to host malicious payloads. Since code-sharing service URLs are typically allowed by security solutions, using them for payload delivery increases the odds that the malicious code will reach the user. While the presence of code-sharing service locations does not imply malicious intent, all of their uses in a software package should be documented and approved. An increasing number of software supply chain attacks in the open source space leverage the GitHub service to deliver malicious payloads.
Prevalence in npm community
11 packages
found in
Top 100
58 packages
found in
Top 1k
1021 packages
found in
Top 10k
269.43k packages
in community
Next steps
Investigate reported detections.
If the software should not include these network references, investigate your build and release environment for software supply chain compromise.
You should delay the software release until the investigation is completed, or until the issue is risk accepted.
Consider an alternative delivery mechanism for software packages.
Problem
Software developers use programming and design knowledge to build reusable software components. Software components are the basic building blocks for modern applications. Software consumed by an enterprise consists of hundreds, and sometimes even thousands of open source components. Each of these components can have dozens, or even hundreds, of its own dependencies. When building applications, software developers download and install components from public repositories. For components to work properly, all of their dependencies also need to be installed. Some package repositories, like Node Package Manager (NPM), allow components to declare dependencies that are hosted remotely. Such dependencies are automatically downloaded from a specified location during software component installation. Since remotely hosted dependencies are not immutable, that enables a threat actor to change the dependency contents even after a component was published and vetted by security solutions. It is uncommon to find open source components that use remotely hosted dependencies residing outside the official project source code repository.
If the software component resolves dependencies from unusual locations, investigate the build and release environment for software supply chain compromise.
Consider vendoring the software component with all of its dependencies.
Avoid using this software package until it is vetted as safe.
Problem
Software components contain executable code that performs actions implemented during its development. These actions are called behaviors. In the analysis report, behaviors are presented as human-readable descriptions that best match the underlying code intent. While most behaviors are benign on their own, some might become important for analysis when observed alongside other capabilities the component exhibits. This issue is reported for files that can enumerate user information and make HTTP requests. While presence of this behavior combination does not imply malicious intent, it is advised that the reported files are reviewed. One example of acceptable use for this type of data collection is the opt-in telemetry for software debugging purposes.
Prevalence in npm community
1 packages
found in
Top 100
1 packages
found in
Top 1k
39 packages
found in
Top 10k
25.38k packages
in community
Next steps
Investigate reported detections as indicators of software tampering.
Consult Mitre ATT&CK documentation: T1033 - System Owner/User Discovery.
Consider limiting the collection of user information to a minimum.
Problem
Operating systems allow multiple user accounts to coexist on a single computer system. Each registered user has identity information associated with their account. At the very least, user accounts consist of a user name and an optional password. In some cases, user account data may also include personally identifiable information. Extended personal information may include user's given and last name, their email and mailing address, personal photo and their telephone number. Financially motivated attackers may seek to collect personal information for purposes of selling the private data to a third-party. Malicious code that typically exhibits these behavior traits is commonly referred to as an information stealer. While the presence of code that accesses identity information does not necessarily imply malicious intent, all of its uses in a software package should be documented and approved. Accessing identity information is a very common behavior for software packages. One example of acceptable use for such functions is verifying that the active user has purchased a software license that allows them to run the application.
Prevalence in npm community
3 packages
found in
Top 100
7 packages
found in
Top 1k
193 packages
found in
Top 10k
79.68k packages
in community
Next steps
Investigate reported detections as indicators of software tampering.
Consult Mitre ATT&CK documentation: T1033 - System Owner/User Discovery.