In this episode of Bad Dependencies, Mackenzie Jackson and Charlie Eriksen dive into one of the most sophisticated malware incidents to target developers — the OpenVSX compromise. They unpack how attackers hid malicious code using Unicode obfuscation, discuss the shift from npm to VS Code extension attacks, and explore how the open-source ecosystem is responding. The episode also covers npm’s new token policies, trusted publishing, and what these changes mean for the future of supply chain security.Chapters:00:00 – Introduction & Discovery02:00 – What is OpenVSX and How It Works03:40 – Anatomy of the Malware Attack05:00 – Unicode Obfuscation and Detection08:20 – Attackers Move from npm to VS Code11:00 – npm’s Security Policy Overhaul17:40 – Trusted Publishing and the Future of Supply Chain Security

In this episode, host Mackenzie Jackson is joined by Charlie Erikson and Daniel Pereira to uncover the story of Shai-Hulud — a self-propagating worm that shook the NPM ecosystem. Like the great sandworm of Arrakis, it surfaced suddenly, exfiltrating secrets and spreading through unsuspecting packages.Daniel recounts his discovery and the frustrating desert-like silence from major platforms as he tried to raise the alarm. Charlie dives into the worm’s anatomy, from environment variable theft to GitHub action exploits, showing how attackers evolved their tactics from the earlier NX breach.Together, they reflect on what it takes to fight worms in the shifting sands of open source, and why the community needs faster ways to respond before the next Shai-Hulud emerges.

Charlie Eriksen and I sat down for a candid chat with Josh Junon, the maintainer of chalk and debug, who found himself at the center of one of the largest npm supply-chain attacks.Josh talks openly about: ✅ How the phishing attack actually worked ✅ What it felt like to have his packages hijacked ✅ The lessons for every open source maintainer and company that relies on npmIt’s a rare, first-hand account of what it’s like to be the person behind the breach, raw, honest, and essential listening for anyone in tech.We are releasing it live at 16:00 CEST , 07:00 Pacific Time