Exploiting GitHub Actions Misconfigurations in High-Traffic npm Packages

In October 2025, Lupin & Holmes, in collaboration with Adnan Khan, conducted offensive research into software supply chain vulnerabilities affecting widely used JavaScript libraries. They discovered critical issues in the CI/CD pipelines of two high-profile npm packages: cross-fetch and GraphQL-JS, which collectively had over 36 million weekly downloads. Both vulnerabilities stemmed from unsafe GitHub Actions configurations that allowed attackers to execute arbitrary code via pull requests (Pwn Requests) and poison build caches (Cache Poisoning). These misconfigurations enabled the theft of maintainer npm tokens, potentially allowing the publication of rogue package versions. The research utilized tools like Depi and Gato-X to map dependency trees and automate exploitation, highlighting systemic weaknesses in the ecosystem's CI/CD workflows. 

https://www.landh.tech/blog/20251003-36m-installs

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