ava on Nostr: GitHub has a major problem with fake rankings, which could put users at risk of ...
GitHub has a major problem with fake rankings, which could put users at risk of attack
Don’t trust GitHub stars, report warns
https://www.techradar.com/pro/security/github-has-a-major-problem-with-fake-rankings-which-could-put-users-at-risk-of-attack
What you need to know:
- GitHub faces a significant issue with fake star ratings, with approximately 4.5 million fake stars identified across nearly 23,000 repositories
- Stars on GitHub function similarly to social media likes and influence a repository's visibility and ranking on the platform
- GitHub's repository rankings and recommendations are heavily dependent on the number of stars a repository receives
- Malicious actors create automated accounts to artificially inflate star counts on suspicious repositories to spread malware
- A collaborative study by Carnegie Mellon University, Socket Inc, and North Carolina State University uncovered this widespread problem
- The researchers identified 1.32 million accounts responsible for creating fake stars, demonstrating the scale of the issue
- GitHub has recognized the problem and is taking measures to combat fraudulent users and repositories
- The platform is described as central to modern open-source software development, making this security issue particularly concerning
- Users are now advised to look beyond star counts and consider factors such as repository activity, authenticity, and code quality
- The problem has shown an increasing trend throughout 2024, indicating a growing threat to the platform's integrity
#IKITAO #Tech #OpenSource #Security
Don’t trust GitHub stars, report warns
https://www.techradar.com/pro/security/github-has-a-major-problem-with-fake-rankings-which-could-put-users-at-risk-of-attack
What you need to know:
- GitHub faces a significant issue with fake star ratings, with approximately 4.5 million fake stars identified across nearly 23,000 repositories
- Stars on GitHub function similarly to social media likes and influence a repository's visibility and ranking on the platform
- GitHub's repository rankings and recommendations are heavily dependent on the number of stars a repository receives
- Malicious actors create automated accounts to artificially inflate star counts on suspicious repositories to spread malware
- A collaborative study by Carnegie Mellon University, Socket Inc, and North Carolina State University uncovered this widespread problem
- The researchers identified 1.32 million accounts responsible for creating fake stars, demonstrating the scale of the issue
- GitHub has recognized the problem and is taking measures to combat fraudulent users and repositories
- The platform is described as central to modern open-source software development, making this security issue particularly concerning
- Users are now advised to look beyond star counts and consider factors such as repository activity, authenticity, and code quality
- The problem has shown an increasing trend throughout 2024, indicating a growing threat to the platform's integrity
#IKITAO #Tech #OpenSource #Security