Dependency Confusion

Dependency Confusion is a sophisticated supply chain attack method that exploits the way package managers resolve dependencies between public and private repositories. During the Resource Development phase, attackers create malicious packages with names identical to legitimate private packages used by target organizations, then publish these counterfeits to public repositories with higher version numbers. When the target's build systems attempt to automatically resolve dependencies, they preferentially pull the higher-versioned malicious package from the public repository instead of the intended private one, as most package managers check public repositories first and prioritize by version number. This technique requires minimal technical sophistication but can achieve significant penetration, as it bypasses traditional code security scanning by exploiting the fundamental trust assumptions in the dependency resolution process rather than compromising existing packages. Successful exploitation allows attackers to execute arbitrary code during build processes, establish persistence, exfiltrate sensitive data, or gain initial access to developer environments and internal systems.