Addressing Supply Chain Vulnerabilities in the BEAM Community

The article explores the risks of supply chain attacks within the BEAM ecosystem, which includes Elixir and Erlang. It presents a scenario where strange log entries and unusual activity signal the emergence of a worm due to compromised third-party packages, causing significant operational problems across various services built on the BEAM. The author emphasizes that despite the BEAM ecosystem's smaller size and fewer transitive dependencies, it is still vulnerable to supply chain attacks similar to those faced by larger ecosystems like npm and PyPI. The article introduces the Ægis Initiative by the Erlang Ecosystem Foundation, which aims to implement stronger security measures such as mandatory two-factor authentication for publishers, trusted publishing practices, and better scanning and alert systems to prevent such incidents. The author urges companies using BEAM in production to support these initiatives to enhance their security posture against potential future attacks.