New GitHub, PyPI Policies Boost Supply Chain Security
GitHub and PyPI are implementing new policies to bolster supply chain security by delaying the adoption of newly released package versions and preventing the poisoning of older, stable releases. These measures aim to reduce the speed at which malicious code can spread through package management systems, mitigating potential supply chain attacks.
GitHub and the Python Package Index (PyPI) are taking proactive steps to enhance supply chain security, focusing on preventing the rapid deployment of compromised package versions and protecting older, stable releases from being manipulated. GitHub’s Dependabot will now wait at least three days after a package release is published before automatically opening a pull request. This delay allows maintainers, security researchers, and automated scanners more time to identify and remove any malicious code before it reaches users’ projects.
GitHub explains that this three-day cooldown is intended to balance two goals: it pushes attackers beyond the most common window for these types of attacks, and it avoids unnecessarily holding back legitimate dependencies. PyPI, meanwhile, is blocking the upload of new files to releases older than 14 days.
PyPI states that this restriction was implemented to prevent attackers from poisoning older, stable releases if publishing tokens or workflows of PyPI projects were compromised. They note that, as of now, this tactic has not been exploited, but there’s no technical reason to believe it won’t be in the future.
According to PyPI, only a small fraction of the top 15,000 packages have published a 3.14-compatible wheel more than 14 days after a release was available. This indicates that the change will significantly reduce the risk of successful supply chain attacks.
The goal is to not only protect users but also simplify cleanup efforts in the event of an attack, making it easier to differentiate between compromised and legitimate releases.