NPM Library Supply Chain Attack

THE THREAT

On October 22, 2021, unidentified threat actors compromised the UA-Parser-JS NPM library and used the library to distribute malware to victims. UAParser.js is a JavaScript Library used by websites to detect the Browser, Rendering Engine, OS, CPU, and Device type/model from User-Agent data of visitors; it has a user-base of over seven million.

Three malicious packages (0.7.29, 0.8.0, 1.0.0) were published and made available for download on the UA-Parser site. Installation of these packages results in the deployment of the XMRig cryptocurrency miner and a password-stealing trojan.

eSentire has detected intrusions related to this supply chain attack. Impacted organizations are recommended to update to the most recent UA-Parser versions as soon as possible. Malicious versions have since been removed from the UA-Parser library.

What we’re doing about it

• eSentire MDR for Network and Endpoint have rules in place to identify the XMRig cryptocurrency miner
• Indicator sweeps have been performed for all eSentire MDR for Endpoint customers
  • Impacted customers have been notified directly
• Techniques observed in this campaign are detected via eSentire MDR for Endpoint
• Additional detections are currently under development

What you should do about it

• Update the impacted versions (0.7.29, 0.8.0, and 1.0.0) of UA-Parser to versions 0.7.30, 0.8.1, 1.0.1
• If malicious versions were installed, impacted devices should be treated as compromised and user credentials must be reset

Additional information

The supply chain attack occurred after a threat actor was able to compromise a UA-Parser developer account. The account was used to publish the three malicious versions of UA-Parser. Information relating to the initial compromise is not publicly available at this time.

It should be noted that Windows and Linux Operating Systems are impacted. It is unlikely that MacOS was impacted in this attack.

eSentire has observed the distribution of malicious content via the supply-chain attack against UA-Parser users. Incidents have been observed impacting organizations in the technology, financial, and government sectors. This threat is believed to be opportunistic, rather than targeting specific industries, sectors, or organizations. eSentire continues to track this campaign for additional details and detection opportunities.

References:

[1] https://us-cert.cisa.gov/ncas/current-activity/2021/10/22/malware-discovered-popular-npm-package-ua-parser-js
[2] https://www.npmjs.com/package/ua-parser-js