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.
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
Service access tokens are considered sensitive information that should not be included in released software packages. However, developers frequently release sensitive information alongside their applications to facilitate automated software testing. Testing tokens and keys often proliferate through the software supply chain. Any publicly documented testing keys or service access tokens can safely be ignored. List of such commonly distributed sensitive information is automatically updated and requires no additional user actions.Prevalence in Visual Studio Code community
2 packages
found in
Top 100
12 packages
found in
Top 1k
53 packages
found in
Top 10k
169 packages
in community
Next steps
Review the commonly shared sensitive information for evidence of inadvertently exposed secrets.
If the tokens were published unintentionally and the software has been made public, you should revoke the tokens and file a security incident.
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.
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 Visual Studio Code community
62 packages
found in
Top 100
409 packages
found in
Top 1k
1869 packages
found in
Top 10k
8832 packages
in community
Next steps
Investigate reported detections as indicators of software tampering.
Consult Mitre ATT&CK documentation: T1033 - System Owner/User Discovery.
Top behaviors
Modifies file/directory permissions.
permissions
Prevalence in Visual Studio Code community
Behavior often found in this community (Common)
65 packages
found in
Top 100
535 packages
found in
Top 1k
2853 packages
found in
Top 10k
14133 packages
in community
Changes file ownership.
file
Prevalence in Visual Studio Code community
Behavior often found in this community (Common)
42 packages
found in
Top 100
313 packages
found in
Top 1k
1548 packages
found in
Top 10k
7212 packages
in community
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
Top vulnerabilities
No vulnerabilities found.