Poisoned Pipeline / Techniques / T0211
Abuse registry-adjacent builders as remote execution
Open Source Security CI/CD Posture Artifact Security
The attacker publishes a package whose files are executed not by a
downstream installer, but by a registry-adjacent worker that trusts
package contents: documentation builders (YARD --load on RubyDoc.info),
preview environments, webhook handlers, or similar jobs that treat.yardopts, setup.py, Makefiles, or lifecycle scripts as commands.
The publisher never needs a victim to gem install / npm install.
Distinct from T0151 (install hooks on the consumer host) and T0166
(poisoning the victim project's own CI). Observed in the 2026 GemStuffer
RubyGems campaign reconstructed by RubyHack, SafeDep, and JFrog.
Where this idea came from
This catalogue, from GemStuffer / RubyDoc.info YARD --load (SafeDep, RubyHack, RubyGems).
- https://safedep.io/openai-agents-rubygems-attack
- https://www.rubyhack.ai/
- https://blog.rubygems.org/2026/09/11/update-may-spam-publishing-campaign.html
Mitigations
- M1500 Verify third-party artifacts and open-source libraries
- M1660 Isolate pipeline for unreviewed code
- M1720 Implement regular patches and updates
Detections
- D1500 Configure monitoring of used artifacts and open-source libraries
- D1510 Implement Intrusion Detection System and anti-malware