Dependency Lockfile Audit

Detect malicious, typosquatted, and vulnerable dependencies before they compromise your application. Supply chain attacks are increasingly common -- a single malicious package can exfiltrate all your environment variables on install.

The Rule

ALWAYS commit lockfiles. ALWAYS audit before installing. NEVER ignore security warnings.

Attack Vectors

Audit Commands

npm (Node.js)

# Check for known vulnerabilities
npm audit

# Check for known vulnerabilities (production only)
npm audit --omit=dev

# Fix automatically where possible
npm audit fix

# List all packages with install scripts (potential risk)
npm query ':attr(scripts, [postinstall])' | jq '.[].name'

# Check lockfile integrity
npm ci  # Fails if lockfile doesn't match package.json

pip (Python)

# Check for known vulnerabilities
pip-audit

# Check with safety
safety check --full-report

# Pin all dependencies
pip freeze > requirements.txt

composer (PHP/Laravel)

# Check for known vulnerabilities
composer audit

# Verify lockfile integrity
composer validate --strict

Typosquatting Detection

Common Patterns to Watch For

# Character substitution
lodash → 1odash (L vs 1)
express → expresss (double letter)
react → reacct

# Scope confusion
@babel/core → @bable/core
@types/node → @typs/node

# Hyphen/underscore tricks
cross-env → crossenv
node-fetch → nodefetch

Automated Check Script

#!/bin/bash
# check-suspicious-deps.sh
# Flags packages with very low download counts or recent publish dates

echo "Checking for suspicious packages..."

# Get all dependencies
DEPS=$(jq -r '.dependencies // {} | keys[]' package.json)
DEPS="$DEPS $(jq -r '.devDependencies // {} | keys[]' package.json)"

for pkg in $DEPS; do
  # Get package info from registry
  INFO=$(curl -s "https://registry.npmjs.org/$pkg")
  
  # Check if package exists
  if echo "$INFO" | jq -e '.error' > /dev/null 2>&1; then
    echo "WARNING: Package '$pkg' not found on registry!"
    continue
  fi
  
  # Check weekly downloads (very low = suspicious)
  DOWNLOADS=$(curl -s "https://api.npmjs.org/downloads/point/last-week/$pkg" | jq '.downloads // 0')
  if [ "$DOWNLOADS" -lt 100 ]; then
    echo "WARNING: '$pkg' has only $DOWNLOADS weekly downloads (possible typosquat)"
  fi
done

Lockfile Integrity

Why Lockfiles Matter

Without a lockfile, npm install can resolve to different versions on different machines. An attacker who publishes a malicious patch version will hit anyone without a lockfile.

Rules

1. Always commit lockfiles (package-lock.json, yarn.lock, pnpm-lock.yaml, composer.lock, Pipfile.lock)
2. Use npm ci in CI/CD (not npm install) -- fails if lockfile is out of sync
3. Review lockfile diffs in PRs -- unexpected changes may indicate supply chain attack
4. Pin exact versions for critical dependencies:

   {
     "dependencies": {
       "stripe": "14.5.0",
       "jsonwebtoken": "9.0.2"
     }
   }
   

Detect Lockfile Tampering

# In CI pipeline -- verify lockfile matches package.json
npm ci --ignore-scripts  # Install without running scripts first

# Then run scripts explicitly after verification
npm rebuild

CI/CD Integration

GitHub Actions

name: Dependency Audit
on:
  pull_request:
    paths:
      - 'package.json'
      - 'package-lock.json'
      - 'requirements.txt'
      - 'Pipfile.lock'

jobs:
  audit:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - name: Check lockfile exists
        run: |
          if [ ! -f package-lock.json ]; then
            echo "ERROR: No lockfile found. Run 'npm install' and commit package-lock.json"
            exit 1
          fi

      - name: Install with integrity check
        run: npm ci --ignore-scripts

      - name: Run security audit
        run: npm audit --audit-level=high

      - name: Check for install scripts
        run: |
          SCRIPTS=$(npm query ':attr(scripts, [postinstall])' 2>/dev/null | jq -r '.[].name' 2>/dev/null)
          if [ -n "$SCRIPTS" ]; then
            echo "Packages with postinstall scripts:"
            echo "$SCRIPTS"
            echo "Review these packages for malicious behavior"
          fi

Safe Dependency Practices

1. Minimize dependencies -- fewer deps = smaller attack surface
2. Prefer well-known packages -- check download counts, maintainer reputation
3. Lock versions in production -- use exact versions, not ranges
4. Review before updating -- read changelogs, check for ownership changes
5. Use --ignore-scripts for initial install -- then audit scripts before running
6. Set up Dependabot/Renovate -- automated PRs for security updates
7. Never run npm install from untrusted package.json -- check scripts first

Red Flags in a Package

• Published in the last 7 days with a name similar to a popular package
• Very few weekly downloads (< 100) for a "utility" package
• postinstall script that runs obfuscated code
• Maintainer email is a disposable address
• Repository URL doesn't match package name
• Single version published (no history)
• Minified source code in the package (hiding malicious code)

PDPA 2024 Consequence

Finding #7 from forensic analysis: Suspicious/unverified dependencies.

If a malicious dependency exfiltrates user data from your application, you are liable under Seksyen 5(1) PDPA 2024 for failing to verify your supply chain. The court considers dependency management part of langkah keselamatan yang munasabah (reasonable security measures).