Socket

Overview

Socket is a software supply chain security tool that analyzes open-source packages for malicious behavior, typosquatting, protestware, and dependency confusion attacks. Unlike CVE-based scanners, Socket uses deep package analysis to detect supply chain threats that have not yet received a CVE. It integrates with GitHub pull requests to flag newly added or upgraded packages.

Use Cases

• •Detecting malicious or compromised npm and PyPI packages before they are installed
• •Identifying supply chain attacks such as dependency confusion and typosquatting
• •Reviewing newly added dependencies in pull requests for security risk
• •Monitoring existing dependencies for newly discovered malicious behavior
• •Enforcing package security policies in CI/CD pipelines

Features

• •Deep package behavioral analysis
• •Malware and protestware detection
• •GitHub PR integration with package diff review
• •Typosquatting detection
• •Dependency confusion attack detection
• •npm, PyPI, and Maven support
• •CLI for local scanning
• •Organization-wide policy enforcement
• •License risk flagging

Integrations

Getting Started

1. 1Install the Socket CLI with `npm install -g @socketsecurity/cli`
2. 2Run `socket scan` in your project to analyze your package dependencies
3. 3Install the Socket GitHub App on your repository to get PR-level package reviews
4. 4Review the Socket report for any flagged packages and investigate issues
5. 5Configure organization policies in the Socket dashboard to block high-risk packages

Practical Notes

• •Socket focuses on supply chain threats rather than known CVEs — use it alongside a CVE scanner like Snyk for complete coverage
• •Free tier is available for open-source projects; private repositories require a paid plan
• •The GitHub App adds a blocking check to PRs when high-risk packages are introduced
• •Socket's CLI is open source; the backend analysis engine is proprietary

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