Just read about the massive NPM supply chain attack and it’s a wake-up call for anyone building with open source.
What happened:
A trusted package maintainer was phished with a fake 2FA reset request.
Attackers hijacked the account and pushed malicious updates to about 18–20 popular npm packages.
These packages get over 2 billion downloads each week, so the blast radius is huge.
The injected code targets crypto transactions by silently swapping wallet addresses.
Why it matters:
Even strong security controls like 2FA can be bypassed with social engineering.
Many businesses unknowingly rely on these libraries—so compromise at this level could ripple across countless apps.
Supply chain security isn’t just technical. The weakest link is often human trust.
What to do now:
Audit dependencies and make sure you’re not pulling in compromised versions.
Rotate credentials and secrets if you used affected packages.
Lock down publishing rights and monitor for unexpected package changes.
Use tools that scan and track dependency behavior, not just versions.
Open source is powerful, but this is a reminder: trust must be paired with verification. Security isn’t just about code—it’s about people, process, and vigilance.
