--- title: Open Source Security: Protecting Against Social... description: The OpenJS Foundation alerts about social engineering takeovers of open source projects and reveals a potential takeover attempt with similarities to the XZ... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/open-source-security-protecting-against-social-engineering-takeovers-of-open-source-projects-tindqg10x twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: Open Source Security: Protecting Against Social Engineering Takeovers of Open Source Projects | daily.dev og:description: The OpenJS Foundation alerts about social engineering takeovers of open source projects and reveals a potential takeover attempt with similarities to the XZ... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/open-source-security-protecting-against-social-engineering-takeovers-of-open-source-projects-tindqg10x og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/tINDqg10x.png og:image:alt: Open Source Security: Protecting Against Social Engineering Takeovers of Open Source Projects og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Open Source Security: Protecting Against Social Engineering Takeovers of Open Source Projects **[Collections](https://daily.dev/sources/collections)** · 3 min read · 1 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary The OpenJS Foundation alerts about social engineering takeovers of open source projects and reveals a potential takeover attempt with similarities to the XZ Utils attack. They emphasize the importance of security and recommend adopting secure practices. ## Content ## Introduction The OpenJS Foundation, an organization that supports and maintains open-source JavaScript projects, recently faced a takeover attempt targeting one of its projects. This incident bears striking similarities to the infamous XZ Utils backdoor attack. In response, the OpenJS Foundation has issued a warning to open source maintainers about the escalating threat of supply-chain attacks and emphasized the importance of expert security support. ## Open Source Security Foundations' Alert The OpenSSF (Open Source Security Foundation) has joined forces with the OpenJS Foundation to issue an alert regarding social engineering takeovers of open source projects. They discuss a failed credible takeover attempt and shed light on suspicious patterns observed in social engineering takeovers. The post also outlines crucial steps to help secure open source projects and provides recommendations for industry and government entities to secure critical open source infrastructure. ## Unveiling a Potential Takeover Attempt Security researchers recently uncovered a potential takeover attempt directed at the OpenJS Foundation. Disturbing similarities were discovered between this incident and the attack on XZ Utils, which remains one of the most sophisticated supply chain compromises to date. In response, the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has advised adopting secure practices when working with open-source software. ## Identifying More Takeover Attempts Following the XZ Utils attack, the OpenSSF and OpenJS Foundation have unearthed additional incidents of social engineering attempts to take over open-source projects. As the open-source community remains vigilant, suspicious emails resembling the XZ Utils attack were received by the OpenJS Foundation, highlighting the need for constant awareness. Moreover, two other JavaScript projects exhibited similar patterns, further reinforcing the necessity for project maintainers and overseeing organizations to be on the lookout for signs of social engineering attempts and adhere to recommended security practices. ## The Menace of Social Engineering Attacks The Open Source Security Foundation (OpenSSF) has issued a warning concerning social engineering attacks specifically targeting open source projects. They draw attention to the use of pull requests containing blobs and obfuscated source code. The extent of ongoing attacks and potential successful breaches in open-source projects remains uncertain. The community must take immediate action to strengthen security measures and protect against these threats. As supply-chain attacks become increasingly prevalent, it is imperative for open-source projects and those involved in their maintenance to prioritize security. The OpenJS Foundation's battle against takeover attempts emphasizes the need for constant vigilance and expert support in ensuring the integrity and safety of open-source software. ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [Don’t just attend KubeCon \+ CloudNativeCon, Merge Forward your experience\!](https://daily.dev/posts/don-t-just-attend-kubecon-cloudnativecon-merge-forward-your-experience--l0rpp73x8) · CNCF · 1 upvotes · 0 comments - [Announcing H2 2026 KCDs](https://daily.dev/posts/announcing-h2-2026-kcds-m96goajm1) · CNCF · 1 upvotes · 0 comments - [Two months of Open Community Groups](https://daily.dev/posts/two-months-of-open-community-groups-asf52zhbs) · CNCF · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [CNCF Unveils Schedule for KubeCon \+ CloudNativeCon Europe 2026](https://daily.dev/posts/cncf-unveils-schedule-for-kubecon-cloudnativecon-europe-2026-ikhcoa5cb) · CNCF · 2 upvotes · 0 comments - [CNCF Debuts KubeCon \+ CloudNativeCon Japan 2026 Schedule](https://daily.dev/posts/cncf-debuts-kubecon-cloudnativecon-japan-2026-schedule-xp5pyudub) · CNCF · 1 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#security](https://daily.dev/tags/security), [#cyber](https://daily.dev/tags/cyber), [#open-source](https://daily.dev/tags/open-source) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/open-source-security-protecting-against-social-engineering-takeovers-of-open-source-projects-tindqg10x) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"Open Source Security: Protecting Against Social Engineering Takeovers of Open Source Projects","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/open-source-security-protecting-against-social-engineering-takeovers-of-open-source-projects-tindqg10x","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/open-source-security-protecting-against-social-engineering-takeovers-of-open-source-projects-tindqg10x"},"datePublished":"2024-04-16T20:32:18.272Z","dateModified":"2024-04-17T19:24:43.848Z","description":"The OpenJS Foundation alerts about social engineering takeovers of open source projects and reveals a potential takeover attempt with similarities to the XZ...","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/86332037718daef9b6d0e158511efa2f?_a=AQAEufR","thumbnailUrl":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/86332037718daef9b6d0e158511efa2f?_a=AQAEufR","isAccessibleForFree":true,"articleSection":"Collections","inLanguage":"en","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180}},"author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Collections","logo":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--fk_6ycEi--/f_auto,q_auto/v1780996001/logos/collections?_a=BAMAMiWQ0","url":"https://daily.dev/sources/collections"},"commentCount":0,"discussionUrl":"https://daily.dev/posts/open-source-security-protecting-against-social-engineering-takeovers-of-open-source-projects-tindqg10x","interactionStatistic":[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":1},{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"CommentAction"},"userInteractionCount":0}],"keywords":"security,cyber,open-source","timeRequired":"PT3M"} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://daily.dev"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Collections","item":"https://daily.dev/sources/collections"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Open Source Security: Protecting Against Social Engineering Takeovers of Open Source Projects"}]} ```