vcpkg

Audit of 25 Package Managers Shows Only Two Verify Every Package's Integrity Against Compromised Repositories

A comprehensive test by Trail of Bits examined 25 popular package managers to determine whether they detect malicious code substituted by a compromised repository. The study found that fewer than half verify package integrity by default using lockfiles, and only two managers check the cryptographic hash of every downloaded package. Most managers either require manual configuration, use hashes insecurely, or lack any integrity checks even when lockfiles are present. Signature verification is even rarer, with only Go performing checks by default. The research used a Docker and mitmproxy testbed to simulate attacks while preserving realistic conditions. Results highlight significant gaps in supply-chain protections across ecosystems including JavaScript, Python, Ruby, Rust, and others. The findings also discuss limitations of current lockfile designs and emerging improvements in several communities.

Challenges in Building Accurate SBOMs for C and C++ Projects Highlighted by CodeScoring Analysis

C and C++ ecosystems lack centralized package manifests, making SBOM generation far more complex than in Python, Java, or JavaScript. Libraries may arrive through system package managers like apt or dnf, build tools such as Conan and vcpkg, or direct source inclusion, with no single record of all components. CodeScoring’s Johnny agent uses eBPF to observe linker commands during builds and cross-references results with dpkg, RPM, and pkg-config metadata. The analysis distinguishes build-time SBOMs, which capture static libraries and compilation commands, from runtime SBOMs that reflect dynamic dependencies at execution. When version data cannot be verified, components are explicitly marked unresolved rather than guessed. The approach also addresses header-only libraries and patched artifacts that defeat simple hash matching.