Top issues
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 services 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 leverages the GitHub service to deliver malicious payloads.Prevalence in Visual Studio Code community
78 packages
found in
Top 100
618 packages
found in
Top 1k
4203 packages
found in
Top 10k
27868 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.
Detected presence of software components with dependencies that are hosted outside the official project repository.
hunting
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.Prevalence in Visual Studio Code community
35 packages
found in
Top 100
226 packages
found in
Top 1k
1137 packages
found in
Top 10k
5416 packages
in community
Next steps
Review software component remote dependency locations.
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
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. A port number is associated with a network address of a host, such as an IP address, and the type of network protocol used for communication. Within URLs, the ports are optional. Ports can be specified in a URL immediately following the domain name. Each network protocol, or schema, has a set of standard ports on which the service operates. This issue is raised when a mismatch between a network protocol and its expected port number is detected. While the presence of non-standard ports does not imply malicious intent, all of their uses in a software package should be documented and approved.Prevalence in Visual Studio Code community
78 packages
found in
Top 100
551 packages
found in
Top 1k
2844 packages
found in
Top 10k
16607 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 changing the port to one that is standard for the networking protocol.
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 source dependencies.Prevalence in Visual Studio Code community
45 packages
found in
Top 100
287 packages
found in
Top 1k
1577 packages
found in
Top 10k
8067 packages
in community
Next steps
Review software component remote dependency locations.
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
Unicode is a text encoding standard designed to support the use of text written in all of the major languages and writing systems. While most languages are written from left to right, some are written in alternative directions. To accommodate encoding text written in such languages, the Unicode standard includes a number of special characters that allow the text direction to be specified. However, changing text direction can have adverse effects on how the encoded text is displayed and interpreted. For this reason, bidirectional Unicode control characters are commonly abused by malicious actors as a means of bypassing security solutions and avoiding detection. While presence of special Unicode characters does not imply malicious intent, all of its uses in a software package should be documented and approved. One example of acceptable use for these special characters is in script files that parse, validate, and transform Unicode-encoded text.Prevalence in Visual Studio Code community
68 packages
found in
Top 100
482 packages
found in
Top 1k
2524 packages
found in
Top 10k
12998 packages
in community
Next steps
Investigate reported detections as indicators of software tampering.
Consult Mitre ATT&CK documentation: T1036.002 - Masquerading: Right-to-Left Override.
Consult publicly available materials on the Trojan Source vulnerability.
Top behaviors
Might contain potentially obfuscated code or data.
anomaly
Prevalence in Visual Studio Code community
Behavior often found in this community (Common)
85 packages
found in
Top 100
673 packages
found in
Top 1k
4329 packages
found in
Top 10k
28768 packages
in community
Encodes data using the Base64 algorithm.
packer
Prevalence in Visual Studio Code community
Behavior often found in this community (Common)
81 packages
found in
Top 100
631 packages
found in
Top 1k
3887 packages
found in
Top 10k
24357 packages
in community
Decodes data using the Base64 algorithm.
packer
Prevalence in Visual Studio Code community
Behavior often found in this community (Common)
73 packages
found in
Top 100
573 packages
found in
Top 1k
3170 packages
found in
Top 10k
17492 packages
in community
Opens a TCP connection to a remote server.
network
Prevalence in Visual Studio Code community
Behavior often found in this community (Common)
76 packages
found in
Top 100
599 packages
found in
Top 1k
3178 packages
found in
Top 10k
16700 packages
in community
Opens URLs during installation or upon launch.
network
Prevalence in Visual Studio Code community
Behavior often found in this community (Common)
47 packages
found in
Top 100
303 packages
found in
Top 1k
1634 packages
found in
Top 10k
8176 packages
in community
Top vulnerabilities
No vulnerabilities found.