Connect with us

Press Release

A well-known npm package deleted files to oppose the situation in Ukraine.

Published

on

A well-known npm package deleted files to oppose the situation in Ukraine.

In opposition to the continuing Russo-Ukrainian War, the creator of the well-known npm package “node-ipc” released corrupted versions of the library this month.

On developers’ computers, newer versions of the “node-ipc” programme started overwriting all files, erasing all data, and creating new text files containing “peace” messages.

Node-ipc is a well-known package used by important libraries like Vue.js CLI, with over a million downloads each week.

Protestware: Open source is affected by the continuing conflict in Ukraine
For users based in Russia and Belarus, specific versions (10.1.1 and 10.1.2) of the enormously popular “node-ipc” package were discovered to include malicious code that would overwrite or destroy arbitrary files on a system. These variations are monitored by CVE-2022-23812.

On March 8th, software engineer Brandon Nozaki Miller, alias RIAEvangelist, published two open source software packages on npm and GitHub called peacenotwar and oneday-test.

The fact that the packages primarily send a “message of peace” on the Desktop of any user who instals them suggests that the creator originally developed them as a way of peaceful protest.

According to RIAEvangelist, “This code serves as a non-destructive illustration of why controlling your node modules is vital.”

It also acts as a peaceful protest against Russia’s aggression, which currently threatens the entire world.

Although also maintained by RIAEvangelist, some npm versions of the well-known “node-ipc” library were seen unleashing a harmful payload to erase all data by overwriting files of users installing the package. This caused havoc.

It’s interesting to note that the malicious code, which was launched by the developer as early as March 7th, would read the system’s external IP address and would only overwrite files to remove data for users residing in Russia and Belarus.

To hide its true intent, the code in “node-ipc,” more notably in file “ssl-geospec.js,” uses base64-encoded strings and obfuscation techniques:

According to a condensed version of the code released by the researchers, the code will effectively delete all data on a machine for users located in Russia or Belarus by replacing all file contents with a heart emoji.

Additionally, because the peacenotwar module is included in “node-ipc” versions 9.2.2, 11.0.0, and those higher than 11.0.0, impacted users noticed “WITH-LOVE-FROM-AMERICA.txt” files appearing on their Desktop with “peace” messages:

Snyk, an open source security company, researchers also observed and investigated the malicious activity:

According to Liran Tal, Director of Developer Advocacy at Snyk, “at this point, a very clear abuse and a catastrophic supply chain security incident will occur for any system on which this npm package will be run, if that matches a geo-location of either Russia or Belarus.”

Users of Vue.js are alarmed by a supply chain attack.
The well-known JavaScript front-end framework “Vue.js” also depends on “node-ipc.” However, prior to this incident, “Vue.js” was configured to collect the most recent minor and patch versions rather than pinning the versions of “node-ipc” dependent to a safe version, as is clear from the caret () symbol: As a result, when several users were surprised, they urgently pleaded with the project’s maintainers to pin the “node-ipc” dependent to a safe version.

In addition, not only Vue.js but other open source projects have been harmed by this sabotage, as noted by BleepingComputer.

Other project maintainers are being cautioned by developers Lukas Mertens and Fedor to make sure they are not using a malicious version of “node-ipc”:

Researchers at Snyk believe that ‘node-ipc’ versions 10.1.1 and 10.1.2, which blatantly harm the system, were removed by npm within 24 hours of being published.

But take note that “node-ipc” versions 11.0.0 and higher are still accessible on npm. Additionally, the peacenotwar module that generates the aforementioned “WITH-LOVE-FROM-AMERICA.txt” files on the desktop is still present in these versions.

As a result, if you used the “node-ipc” library to build your application, be sure to pin the dependency to a secure version, like 9.2.1 (it turns out that 9.2.2 isn’t completely safe either).

Community outraged by incident in open source
This is the second significant act of self-sabotage by an open source developer this year, following the BleepingComputer-first reported “colours” and “fakers” episode from January.
The creator of “colours,” Marak Squires, received conflicting responses from the open source community because of his method of protest, which involved damaging countless apps by inserting infinite loops inside of them.

But the action of RIAEvangelist, who manages over 40 packages on npm, has come under fire for going beyond “peaceful protest” and aggressively placing damaging payloads in a well-known library without informing honest users.

A GitHub user described it as “a massive blow” to the open source community’s collective confidence.

“This behaviour is just unacceptable. War is undoubtedly a dreadful thing, but that doesn’t justify certain actions, such as placing weird files in desktop folders and erasing all files for Russia/Belarus users. You’re a f***, go to hell. You just managed to destroy the open-source community. You feeling better, @RIAEvangelist?” another enquired.

Some criticised the “node-ipc” developer for repeatedly altering and removing earlier comments on the forum in an effort to “clean up” his tracks [1, 2, 3].

“Even while some people may view maintainer RIAEvangelist’s purposeful and risky action as a justified form of protest. How does that affect the maintainer’s standing and involvement in the developer community in the future? “Snyk’s Tal queries.

Before including “node-ipc” in their applications, developers should use caution because there is no guarantee that future versions of this library or any other library made available by RIAEvangelist will be secure.

One method of defending your applications against such supply chain attacks is to pin your dependencies to a trustworthy version.

 

Continue Reading

Press Release

Characteristics That Set Mega888 Apart From Other Online Casinos

Published

on

Characteristics That Set Mega888 Apart From Other Online Casinos

The world of online gaming has never been the same since the launch of Mega888. It may be argued that the casino is the greatest online casino for all of your gambling needs because it has accomplished so much in such a short period of time.

There is a list of other online casinos, however the majority of them cannot be compared to Mega888. So what precisely sets Mega888 apart from other online casinos? We’ve put together a collection of justifications to aid you comprehend Mega888’s virtues.

The casino provides patrons with a wealth of amenities. So, these are the characteristics that set Mega888 apart from other online casinos in the gambling sector.

Quality of the Online Casino Overall
Prior to going any further, it is important to note the casino’s general level of excellence. One of the main reasons Mega888 is trustworthy is because it never takes advantage of or scams its customers.

The casino will take steps to protect every player from fraud of any kind, making Mega888 a trustworthy and respectable online casino. The Mega888 team is always developing new features to improve the playing experience.

The high-quality games that Mega888 has to offer are among its best features. The online casino’s selection of games goes well beyond simply having outstanding gameplay. The online casino is top-notch because the games have incredible graphics and the casinos provide outstanding customer service to all of their customers.

Mega888 Has Several Different Games.
The range of games available at Mega888 is one of the premium attractions. Mega888 provides an incredible selection of games, all of which are of the highest calibre. The online casino offers a wide variety of games, including shooting, fishing, and arcade games.

Additionally, if you still think that this is insufficient, players can choose from a number of table games. The developers at Mega888 are constantly working to provide fresh material for the players at the online casino, so whenever a player enters the site, they will find new games.

To keep the platform updated with new games each month, the online platform occasionally undergoes maintenance. Consequently, each time you play at the online casino, you will have a distinctive gaming experience. Players can currently choose from hundreds of slot games, numerous live table games, and much more.

Mega888’s security is impenetrable.
The security of the Mega888 is one of its key characteristics. All gamers at Mega888 are helped by the security system’s design, which protects them from danger or attacks from outside sources. However, this wouldn’t have been possible if Mega888 hadn’t given the security team a sizable sum of money from their annual budget.

This indicates that the online casino places a high priority on security and won’t compromise it for anything. There is no history of fraud or account hacking at the online casino’s security. It demonstrates that the online casino ensures the confidentiality of all player financial and personal information right from the start.

You won’t ever need to be concerned about a hack or scam involving your account. The online casino has a good reputation, and Mega888 has received approval from numerous organisations as a legitimate online gaming platform. Additionally, numerous licencing companies have endorsed the casino, demonstrating that it is a secure and safe location to gamble.

The two-factor authentication barrier that Mega888 has for players between the email and the Mega888 Apk is its best security feature. This means that it would be nearly impossible for any outside attacker to access a player’s account without going through two distinct layers of security.

Additionally, if a hacker tries to steal money from a transaction, the online casino’s management team will immediately transfer the money to the legitimate owner after learning about the behaviour.

The security system’s usage of a 128-bit encryption technique is another observable aspect. The casino maintains sensitive data using this technique, including user names, passwords for Mega888 accounts, and financial information.

The online casino’s high level of encryption prevents many hackers from accessing any accounts. Last but not least, the online casino has a firewall that prevents hackers from accessing the site.

Services for Instant Cash Out Using Mega888
Every online casino has its unique cash-out options, and given that these services are available online, it is crucial for the platform to guarantee that the casino offerings are reliable and prompt. Mega888 ensures that their services are simple to use.

All of Mega888’s services to its players appear to be seamless. All that is required of players is consistency and a willingness to take financial risks when playing at an online casino. The casino has remarkable and simple processes in place so that players may withdraw their money with little hassle.

You must get in touch with a dealer in order to collect your money. You have a number of options for doing that, some of which include WeChat, real-time chat, phone calls, or WhatsApp. Make sure that the choice you choose is practical for you since the dealers Mega888 offers are knowledgeable, competent, and professional.

Every request a player submits receives a response within 24 hours, and any questions they may have will be addressed as soon as possible. Players can retrieve their money in the quickest and safest possible manner in this fashion.

Last Words
Overall, Mega888 might have a lot of characteristics that make it a casino you definitely want to play at. However, before you take the major step of gambling with your own money, it’s crucial to understand more about the games and their rules.

Continue Reading

Press Release

PHP source code was given backdoors thanks to a compromise of the Git server.

Published

on

PHP source code was given backdoors thanks to a compromise of the Git server.

The official PHP Git repository was breached in the most recent software supply chain attack, and the code base was modified.

Yesterday, two malicious commits were uploaded to the PHP team’s git.php.net server, which hosts the php-src Git repository.

Threat actors had verified these commits as if Rasmus Lerdorf and Nikita Popov, two well-known PHP developers and maintainers, had made them.

PHP Git server has an RCE backdoor installed.
Yesterday, two malicious contributions were uploaded to the official PHP Git repository in an effort to corrupt the PHP code base.

The event is concerning because 79% of websites on the Internet still use PHP as their server-side programming language.

The attackers released a mystery update upstream called “repair typo” in the malicious commits [1, 2] that BleepingComputer saw under the guise of a little typographical patch.

Looking closer at the newly added line 370, where the zend eval string function is used, reveals that the code in fact creates a backdoor for quickly achieving Remote Code Execution (RCE) on a website using this hacked version of PHP.

Developer Jake Birchall for PHP responded to Michael Voek, who had discovered the error originally, with the explanation, “This line executes PHP code from within the useragent HTTP header, if the string starts with ‘zerodium’.”

Nikita Popov, a PHP maintainer, explained the following to us via email:

“During a regular post-commit code review a few hours after the first commit, it was discovered. The modifications were immediately undone because they were blatantly malicious “According to Popov, BleepingComputer.

The malicious commit was also done under Rasmus Lerdorf’s identity, the person who created PHP.

But that should come as no surprise because with source code version control systems like Git, it is possible to sign off a change locally under a different identity [1, 2] and then upload the spoof commit to the remote Git server, where it appears to have been signed off by the person listed on it.

According to PHP maintainers, this malicious activity originated from the compromised git.php.net server rather than from the compromise of an individual’s Git account, despite the fact that a thorough investigation of the incident is still ongoing.

The official PHP codebase has been moved to GitHub.
Following this event, the PHP maintainers have chosen to move the official PHP source code repository to GitHub as a precaution.

We’ve made the decision to stop running the git.php.net server even though our investigation is still ongoing since we believe that keeping our own git infrastructure is an unnecessary security risk.

Popov stated that the GitHub repositories, which were previously merely mirrors, “would become canonical.”

After this modification, Popov demands that any future code updates be uploaded directly to GitHub rather than the git.php.net site.

Anyone who wants to contribute to the PHP project must now join the PHP organisation on GitHub.

The same security alert includes advice for doing that.

You would need to have two-factor authentication (2FA) set on your GitHub account in order to join the organisation.

Beyond the two commits that were mentioned, “We’re investigating the repositories for any corruption,” says Popov.

In order to learn the full scope of this attack and whether any code was transmitted downstream before the fraudulent commits were discovered, BleepingComputer contacted Popov and the PHP security team.

Although it might have been cloned or forked in the interim, no tags or release artefacts reflect the changes.

Popov added to BleepingComputer, “The changes were in the development branch for PHP 8.1, which is scheduled for release at the end of the year.

The PHP team has confirmed to BleepingComputer that they want to decommission their git server ultimately and switch to GitHub permanently in the coming days.

Continue Reading

Press Release

According to an internally sourced Facebook post, Rob LathERN, CHIEF OF ADVERTISING INTEGRITY who handled ads around sensitive subjects, left the company on Dec. 30 (KATIE PAUL/REUTERS).

Published

on

ads around sensitive subjects

Internal Facebook post indicates Rob Leathern, chief of advertising integrity who handled ad products around sensitive subjects, left the company on December 30  —  (Reuters) – Facebook Inc’s chief of advertising integrity, who handled the company’s ad products around sensitive subjects …

Continue Reading

Trending