Individual skill
exploiting-dependency-confusion
Identifying and exploiting dependency confusion (substitution) attacks where a package manager resolves an internal dependency name from a public registry instead of the intended private one, leading to attacker-controlled code execution at install time. Activates when testing build pipelines, CI/CD systems, leaked manifests, or any ecosystem (npm, PyPI, NuGet, Maven, Gradle, Go, Cargo, RubyGems) that mixes internal and public package sources.
internal/tools/skills/data/web-application-security/exploiting-dependency-confusion/SKILL.md
Source commit d42f381ad34843e71a42658e5c57290c713e85af
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- Matches the observed repository HEAD
- Yes
- Scanner rules are current
- Yes
- Repository scan complete
- No
- Skill scan complete
- No
- Observed behavior
- Network or broad shell
- Last checked
- Nov 9, 2026
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Repository context
- Repository stars (not skill ratings)
- 1,315
- Repository last updated
- Nov 8, 2026
- License
- Apache-2.0
Observed agent integration: No specific integration evidence. Standard SKILL.md installation does not imply verified compatibility.
- cybersecurity Repository topic
- security Repository topic
- bug-bounty Repository topic
- automation Repository topic
- autonomous-pentesting Repository topic
- ai-agent Repository topic
- ai-security Repository topic
- ethical-hacking Repository topic
- golang Repository topic
- penetration-testing Repository topic
- penetration-testing Declared skill tag
- dependency-confusion Declared skill tag
- supply-chain Declared skill tag
- owasp Declared skill tag
- web-security Declared skill tag
- devops Derived category
- security Derived category
- testing Derived category
- security-application Derived category
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# Exploiting Dependency Confusion
## When to Use
- During authorized assessments where you can recover application manifests or lockfiles (`package.json`, `requirements.txt`, `pom.xml`, `*.csproj`, `go.mod`, `Cargo.toml`, `Gemfile`)
- When a target leaks internal package names through public JS bundles, error messages, CI logs, or exposed `.git` directories
- When the build tooling is configured with both internal and public registries and is allowed to pick the "best" version globally
- When testing CI/CD runners that fetch dependencies and hold cloud credentials, signing keys, or deploy secrets
- When you spot `npx <binary>` invocations in repos, docs, or CI definitions (binary-name takeover variant)
## Prerequisites
- **Authorization**: Written engagement scope explicitly permitting publishing test packages to public registries
- **Registry accounts**: npm, PyPI, NuGet, RubyGems accounts for publishing PoC packages