Definition
Plain language
An attack that tricks software into installing a booby-trapped or fake add-on component.
As stated in the literature
Compromising the dependencies or packages an application pulls in—e.g., inducing an agent to install a plausible-but-nonexistent package—so malicious code enters via the trusted install path; the highest-success payload category in IssueTrojanBench.
Also called: supply-chain attack, supply chain attack
Why it matters: It turns the trusted process of installing add-ons into an attack route, so a single bad dependency can compromise an entire application.
For example, an attacker might get a coding assistant to install a fake package with a name close to a real one, quietly slipping malicious code into the project.
Heard on the show
“First, supply-chain poisoning — install a plausible-sounding package that doesn't really exist, like "sympy-matrix-benchmarks.”Episode 227 — Poisoned Bug Reports Fooled Coding Agents Two Times Out of Three