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CyberDudeBivash Pvt Ltd · Official Security Policies & Defensive Standards
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CYBERDUDEBIVASH’s Policy to Mitigate Dependency Hijacking Attacks

An enforceable, enterprise-grade security policy defining how CyberDudeBivash prevents, detects, and responds to dependency hijacking across software supply chains.

Policy Owner: CyberDudeBivash · Effective Date: 2025-12-27 · Applies To: Engineering, DevOps, Security, CI/CD

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Policy notice: This document represents the official defensive policy of CyberDudeBivash Pvt Ltd. It is written for engineers, security teams, and leadership. The goal is prevention and control — not exploit demonstration.

Executive Summary

Dependency hijacking is one of the most reliable modern supply-chain attack techniques. It does not require zero-days, social engineering, or infrastructure compromise.

By exploiting how package managers resolve dependencies, attackers can silently inject malicious code into trusted build pipelines.

This policy establishes mandatory controls that CyberDudeBivash enforces to reduce the likelihood, blast radius, and dwell time of dependency hijacking attacks.

Scope

This policy applies to:

• All source code repositories
• All CI/CD pipelines
• All package managers (npm, PyPI, Maven, NuGet, Go modules, etc.)
• All third-party and internal dependencies
• Build, test, and deployment environments

Threat Model: Dependency Hijacking

Dependency hijacking occurs when an attacker publishes a malicious package that is preferentially resolved over an intended dependency.

Common attack vectors

• Unclaimed or abandoned package names
• Typosquatting of popular dependencies
• Internal package names leaked to public registries
• Overly permissive version ranges
• Implicit trust in upstream maintainers

These attacks bypass perimeter security entirely and execute directly inside trusted build environments.

Policy Principles

• Explicit trust only: No dependency is trusted by default.
• Reproducibility: Builds must be deterministic and verifiable.
• Least privilege: Build systems must have minimal access.
• Assume compromise: Controls must limit impact even if a dependency is malicious.

Mandatory Preventive Controls

1. Dependency Source Control

• All dependencies must be resolved from approved registries only.
• Public registry access must be explicitly reviewed and justified.
• Internal package names must be registered defensively on public registries.

2. Version Pinning

• Exact versions must be pinned for all dependencies.
• Floating versions and wildcards are prohibited.
• Lock files are mandatory and must be committed.

3. Dependency Allowlisting

• Only approved dependencies may be introduced.
• New dependencies require security review.
• Automated checks must block unauthorized additions.

4. Build Environment Isolation

• CI runners must be ephemeral.
• Build environments must not have long-lived credentials.
• Outbound network access must be restricted.

Detection & Monitoring Requirements

Required telemetry

• Dependency resolution logs
• Package install events
• Checksum and hash validation failures
• Unexpected registry lookups

Any deviation from approved dependency behavior must trigger investigation.

The CyberDudeBivash “Stop The Bleed” Protocol (Dependency Hijacking)

Phase 1: Contain

• Freeze builds and deployments immediately
• Block affected package names and versions
• Isolate compromised pipelines

Phase 2: Verify

• Identify malicious dependency versions
• Review build logs and artifacts
• Assess credential exposure

Phase 3: Eradicate

• Remove malicious dependencies
• Rotate all secrets accessible to the build
• Rebuild artifacts from clean sources

Roles & Responsibilities

• Engineering: Follow dependency standards and report anomalies.
• DevOps: Enforce CI/CD controls and isolation.
• Security: Review dependencies and respond to incidents.
• Leadership: Ensure enforcement and resource allocation.

Policy Review & Enforcement

This policy is reviewed quarterly or after any supply-chain incident. Violations may result in build failures, deployment blocks, or corrective action.

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FAQ

Are dependency hijacking attacks common?

Yes. They are low-cost, low-noise, and highly effective.

Do audits prevent dependency hijacking?

No. Controls must exist at resolution and build time.

Is private registry usage enough?

Only if combined with strict allowlisting and isolation.

#CyberDudeBivash #SupplyChainSecurity #DependencyHijacking #DevSecOps #SecureCI #ZeroTrustBuilds #SoftwareSecurity