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Merged
merged 10 commits into from
Jun 3, 2025

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AmineRaouane
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Implement typosquatting detection for package names during analysis. Compares package names against a list of popular packages using the Jaro-Winkler similarity algorithm. Packages exceeding a defined threshold of similarity to a popular package are flagged.

Summary

Adds typosquatting detection for package names during analysis using Jaro-Winkler similarity.

Description of changes

This PR introduces a new security analysis feature to detect potential typosquatting in package names. The implementation compares the name of a package being analyzed against a list of popular package names. By default, it uses a predefined list stored in a dedicated file, but it also offers an option to use a custom list provided via a configuration path.

The comparison utilizes the Jaro-Winkler similarity algorithm to calculate a similarity score between the package name and each name in the popular packages list. If the calculated similarity score exceeds a configurable threshold, the package is flagged as a potential typosquat.

This feature helps identify malicious packages attempting to mimic legitimate, popular ones through slight variations in spelling, thus enhancing the security posture of the project by warning users about such risks.

The changes include:

  • Integration of the Jaro-Winkler similarity algorithm.
  • Inclusion of a default file containing a list of popular package names for comparison.
  • Addition of a configuration option to provide a custom file path for the popular packages list, overriding the default.
  • Implementation of the comparison logic and threshold-based flagging.

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  • I have tested my changes and verified they work as expected.

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@oracle-contributor-agreement oracle-contributor-agreement bot added the OCA Required At least one contributor does not have an approved Oracle Contributor Agreement. label Apr 21, 2025
@behnazh-w behnazh-w requested review from art1f1c3R and benmss April 24, 2025 01:58
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@AmineRaouane Please add unit tests following the instructions here.

Take a look at the unit tests for other malware heuristics at tests/malware_analyzer/pypi/ and add a similar one for this new heuristic.

For small and standalone functions, you can add test cases to the docstring itself. You can find an example here.

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Would it be possible to make the path to the custom file list of packages configurable through defaults.ini? Our configurations for heuristic analyzers live under the [heuristic.pypi] section in the file. Check out some of the heuristics that use it to get an idea (anomalous_version.py, high_release_frequency.py), I do something similar with paths in the semgrep PR.

@AmineRaouane AmineRaouane force-pushed the main branch 2 times, most recently from 0a8ddbf to 80afd9e Compare May 17, 2025 22:30
@AmineRaouane AmineRaouane force-pushed the main branch 2 times, most recently from 8868bde to 8d37e9b Compare May 21, 2025 10:47
@oracle-contributor-agreement oracle-contributor-agreement bot added OCA Verified All contributors have signed the Oracle Contributor Agreement. and removed OCA Required At least one contributor does not have an approved Oracle Contributor Agreement. labels May 21, 2025
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benmss commented May 27, 2025

@AmineRaouane As a general comment: Please wait for reviewers to mark the issues they have raised as resolved. This way we can more easily ensure that an appropriate resolution has been reached.

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Looks good!

Adds a new security analysis feature to detect potential typosquatting in package names. Compares the package name against a list of popular packages using the Jaro-Winkler similarity algorithm. Packages exceeding a configurable threshold are flagged. Includes a default popular package list and an option for a custom list via configuration.

Signed-off-by: Amine <amine.raouane@enim.ac.ma>
Adds a new security analysis feature to detect potential typosquatting in package names. Compares the package name against a list of popular packages using the Jaro-Winkler similarity algorithm. Packages exceeding a configurable threshold are flagged. Includes a default popular package list and an option for a custom list via configuration.

Signed-off-by: Amine <amine.raouane@enim.ac.ma>
Adds a new security analysis feature to detect potential typosquatting in package names. Compares the package name against a list of popular packages using the Jaro-Winkler similarity algorithm. Packages exceeding a configurable threshold are flagged. Includes a default popular package list and an option for a custom list via configuration.

Signed-off-by: Amine <amine.raouane@enim.ac.ma>
Added unit tests for typosquatting detection. Analyzer variables, including the file path, are now loaded from defaults.ini. Raised heuristic confidence level from medium to high.

BREAKING CHANGE: Analyzer config must now be defined in defaults.ini.

Signed-off-by: Amine <amine.raouane@enim.ac.ma>
Signed-off-by: Amine <amine.raouane@enim.ac.ma>
Signed-off-by: Amine <amine.raouane@enim.ac.ma>
Signed-off-by: Amine <amine.raouane@enim.ac.ma>
Signed-off-by: Amine <amine.raouane@enim.ac.ma>
Signed-off-by: Amine <amine.raouane@enim.ac.ma>
Signed-off-by: Amine <amine.raouane@enim.ac.ma>
@behnazh-w behnazh-w changed the title feat(security): Add package name typosquatting detection feat(security): add package name typosquatting detection Jun 3, 2025
@behnazh-w behnazh-w merged commit 1c65d5f into oracle:main Jun 3, 2025
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5 participants