You can also use tools like safe-chain which connects to malware databases and blocks installations of malicious packages. In this case it would have blocked installs around 20 minutes after the malware was added as this was how long it took to be added into the malware databases.
https://www.npmjs.com/package/@aikidosec/safe-chain
Mackenzie here I work for Aikido.
This is a classic example of the security community all playing a part. The very first notice of this was from a developer named Daniel Pereira. He alerted Socket who did the first review of the Malware and discovered 40 packages. After, Aikido discovered an additional 147 packages and the Crowdstrike packages.
I'm not sure how Step found it but they were the first to really understand the malware and that it was a self replicating worm. So multiple parties all playing a part kinda independent. Its pretty cool
question how does your product help in these situations? I imagine it'd require for someone to report a compromised package, and then you guys could detect it in my codebase?
Yes to the you guys can detect it in my codebase, but it's generally not required for someone to report a compromised package, we do also discover them ourselves quite fast due to automated scans of npm package updates. This is how aikido was first to discover the previous supply chain hack.
