--- title: The practical supply chain attacks checklist | daily.dev description: Software supply chain attacks jumped 73% in 2025, with high-profile compromises hitting npm packages like axios, chalk, and debug, as well as GitHub Actions... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/the-practical-supply-chain-attacks-checklist-8czahxxlu twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: The practical supply chain attacks checklist | daily.dev og:description: Software supply chain attacks jumped 73% in 2025, with high-profile compromises hitting npm packages like axios, chalk, and debug, as well as GitHub Actions... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/the-practical-supply-chain-attacks-checklist-8czahxxlu og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/8czaHxXlu.png og:image:alt: The practical supply chain attacks checklist 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. # The practical supply chain attacks checklist **[Aikido Security](https://daily.dev/sources/aikido-security)** · 7 min read · 1 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary Software supply chain attacks jumped 73% in 2025, with high-profile compromises hitting npm packages like axios, chalk, and debug, as well as GitHub Actions and CLI tools. This checklist provides 30 prioritized defenses graded critical, high, or medium, covering: enforcing package age policies to block same-day malicious releases, pinning CI/CD pipeline actions to immutable commit SHAs, treating MCP servers as third-party dependencies with scoped permissions, guarding against prompt injection in AI-powered pipelines, and capturing audit logs for registry pushes and token usage. Additional areas include lockfile enforcement, phishing-resistant MFA, container image hardening, IDE extension controls, and incident response playbooks. The checklist requires filling out a form to download the full 30-item version. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### Why should I pin GitHub Actions to a commit SHA instead of a version tag? Referencing a third-party GitHub Action by tag extends trust to whoever controls that tag, and tags can be moved to point at different, potentially malicious code after the fact. Pinning to an immutable commit SHA removes that risk since the SHA can't be silently repointed. This directly addresses the attack pattern seen in the tj-actions/changed-files compromise. _Teams hardening CI/CD pipelines against poisoned actions can track supply chain guidance like this on daily.dev._ ### What is a package age policy and why does it help against npm supply chain attacks? A package age policy blocks packages from being installed until they've been live for a minimum period, such as 48 hours, giving the community time to detect and flag malicious releases before they reach a build. Attacks against axios, chalk, and debug spread by executing within hours of a compromised publish, so this delay window is what catches them before install. _Engineers evaluating npm hardening tactics can follow ongoing supply chain security coverage on daily.dev._ ### Why should MCP servers be treated as a supply chain risk in AI-powered development pipelines? MCP servers sit at a high-trust point with broad permissions and direct access to the data AI agents handle, making them equivalent to any other third-party dependency in risk profile. They should be pinned to specific versions, their publisher verified, and their permissions scoped tightly, the same controls applied to npm packages or CI actions. _Developers securing agentic toolchains can keep up with MCP and AI pipeline risks via daily.dev._ ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [How to secure full-stack projects from NPM attacks](https://daily.dev/posts/how-to-secure-full-stack-projects-from-npm-attacks-p2w9ugiyl) · LogRocket · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [5 Supply Chain Attacks in 48 Hours: Why Securing One Layer Is Not Enough](https://daily.dev/posts/5-supply-chain-attacks-in-48-hours-why-securing-one-layer-is-not-enough-wlypxlj48) · StepSecurity · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [5 Software Supply Chain Security Best Practices](https://daily.dev/posts/5-software-supply-chain-security-best-practices-mi1qr3w4l) · Docker · 1 upvotes · 0 comments - [This Week In Security: The Supply Chain Has Problems](https://daily.dev/posts/this-week-in-security-the-supply-chain-has-problems-e5yi4rj1g) · Hackaday · 1 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#security](https://daily.dev/tags/security), [#cicd](https://daily.dev/tags/cicd), [#github-actions](https://daily.dev/tags/github-actions), [#npm](https://daily.dev/tags/npm), [#prompt-injection](https://daily.dev/tags/prompt-injection) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/the-practical-supply-chain-attacks-checklist-8czahxxlu) ```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":"The practical supply chain attacks checklist","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/the-practical-supply-chain-attacks-checklist-8czahxxlu","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/the-practical-supply-chain-attacks-checklist-8czahxxlu"},"datePublished":"2026-07-14T15:26:34.690Z","dateModified":"2026-09-14T08:44:23.017Z","description":"Software supply chain attacks jumped 73% in 2025, with high-profile compromises hitting npm packages like axios, chalk, and debug, as well as GitHub Actions...","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/18b872b414fe6aeec9cc2f7d99515b56?_a=AQAEuop","thumbnailUrl":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/18b872b414fe6aeec9cc2f7d99515b56?_a=AQAEuop","isAccessibleForFree":true,"articleSection":"Aikido Security","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":"Aikido Security","logo":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--vJDqDYv_--/f_auto,q_auto/v1774959928/logos/aikido-security?_a=BAMAMiWQ0","url":"https://daily.dev/sources/aikido-security"},"commentCount":0,"discussionUrl":"https://daily.dev/posts/the-practical-supply-chain-attacks-checklist-8czahxxlu","interactionStatistic":[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":1},{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"CommentAction"},"userInteractionCount":0}],"keywords":"security,cicd,github-actions,npm,prompt-injection","timeRequired":"PT7M"} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://daily.dev"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Aikido Security","item":"https://daily.dev/sources/aikido-security"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"The practical supply chain attacks checklist"}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/the-practical-supply-chain-attacks-checklist-8czahxxlu#faq","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"Why should I pin GitHub Actions to a commit SHA instead of a version tag?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Referencing a third-party GitHub Action by tag extends trust to whoever controls that tag, and tags can be moved to point at different, potentially malicious code after the fact. Pinning to an immutable commit SHA removes that risk since the SHA can't be silently repointed. This directly addresses the attack pattern seen in the tj-actions/changed-files compromise. Teams hardening CI/CD pipelines against poisoned actions can track supply chain guidance like this on daily.dev."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"What is a package age policy and why does it help against npm supply chain attacks?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"A package age policy blocks packages from being installed until they've been live for a minimum period, such as 48 hours, giving the community time to detect and flag malicious releases before they reach a build. Attacks against axios, chalk, and debug spread by executing within hours of a compromised publish, so this delay window is what catches them before install. Engineers evaluating npm hardening tactics can follow ongoing supply chain security coverage on daily.dev."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Why should MCP servers be treated as a supply chain risk in AI-powered development pipelines?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"MCP servers sit at a high-trust point with broad permissions and direct access to the data AI agents handle, making them equivalent to any other third-party dependency in risk profile. They should be pinned to specific versions, their publisher verified, and their permissions scoped tightly, the same controls applied to npm packages or CI actions. Developers securing agentic toolchains can keep up with MCP and AI pipeline risks via daily.dev."}}]} ```