Disrupting supply chain attacks on NPM and GitHub Actions

(github.blog)

50 points | by nyku 3 hours ago

4 comments

  • alpineman 1 hour ago
    >> high-impact npm accounts are now put into a read-only mode for 72 hours when they change their email or use a 2FA recovery code. This delay allows maintainers time to respond and recover the account before their account can be used to start an attack.

    'what time shall we put here?'

    'what's the longest hangover you ever had?'

    'let's put 72 hours'

    • Waterluvian 36 minutes ago
      A weekend plus a day to deal with things seems like a decent minimum duration when it’s somewhat arbitrary what the right number is.
      • datakan 21 minutes ago
        I don't think so at all. People go on vacation all the time. This should be 30 days not 3.
        • normie3000 6 minutes ago
          It's often not the maintainer that removes a poisoned release, it's the npm security team/tools. So unless the whole team takes a month off, we're all safe.
        • Waterluvian 15 minutes ago
          That's the usual runaway problem, right? Why not 60 then? People go on sabbaticals! etc etc.

          I feel like the only way to be wrong for this class of problem is to believe that there's a singular right answer. Just pick something reasonable (like how weekends are a fairly common thing, so don't make it shorter than 48 hours). Start there, then see how much of an issue persists. No matter what, at scale you'll find someone complaining that the number is too little, and people complaining that it's too much. Eventually you just have to tell the complainers to deal with it.

  • hncsiocp9x 1 hour ago
    Been quietly thinking this for years
  • DiabloD3 2 hours ago
    [flagged]
    • theF00l 2 hours ago
      The job can require you to
      • DiabloD3 2 hours ago
        [flagged]
        • UqWBcuFx6NV4r 1 hour ago
          These comments should be removed r from HN, because they in no way actually add to the conversation. They aren’t intelligent, they aren’t insightful, they aren’t actionable, and they don’t invite a genuine reply. All you’re saying is that you happen to not use these technologies yourself – something that I’m sure is only by happenstance – and that you feel superior for it.

          This is a blog post by GitHub. what are you suggesting that these employees do? Simply ignore that they exist? Regardless of whether or not you use them, they still exist.

          • sieabahlpark 35 minutes ago
            [dead]
          • anon48293 1 hour ago
            > This is a blog post by GitHub. what are you suggesting that these employees do? Simply ignore that they exist?

            The buggy, insecure feature that is GitHub actions? Yes, preferably so.

        • x86a 1 hour ago
          This is such a myopic take
        • baby_souffle 1 hour ago
          GitHub actions doesn’t really make you a js shop
    • rho138 2 hours ago
      > Opting out of toxic ecosystems is a valid option

      Quick, everyone break out the pitchforks for a valid analysis of a game! /s

  • pluto_modadic 58 minutes ago
    the bare minimum award, for the only language and only registry where this regularly happens.