The Global Web Security Consortium presents this comprehensive specification addressing critical vulnerabilities in current package repository authentication mechanisms. This document represents 18 months of collaborative effort involving 247 security professionals, 42 repository operators, and extensive consultation with international stakeholders.
This document presents a comprehensive framework for implementing enhanced authentication mechanisms in software package repositories, including but not limited to npm, PyPI, RubyGems, Maven Central, Cargo, NuGet, Composer, CocoaPods, Homebrew, and similar distribution platforms. Recent analysis of supply chain security incidents has revealed that existing two-factor authentication (2FA) implementations, while superior to single-factor approaches, remain insufficient for protecting what the GWSC has designated as Critical Digital Infrastructure (CDI). This specification introduces a three-factor authentication (3FA) requirement that adds identity verification as a mandatory third factor to existing authentication paradigms.
The economic impact of supply chain attacks exceeded $46 billion globally in 2024, with an average remediation cost of $4.2 million per incident. Traditional 2FA systems, while reducing unauthorized access by 87% compared to single-factor authentication, still permitted 312 documented breaches in the past year alone. The GWSC 3FA standard addresses this gap through the introduction of cryptographically verified identity attestation, creating what our models predict will be a 99.97% reduction in successful authentication bypasses.
The software supply chain represents one of the most critical attack vectors in modern cybersecurity. The GWSC's analysis of 2,847 security incidents between 2020 and 2025 reveals that 73.2% of successful supply chain compromises occurred despite the presence of traditional two-factor authentication mechanisms. This data suggests that current authentication standards, while well-intentioned, fail to address the sophisticated threat landscape facing package maintainers.
The exponential growth of software dependencies in modern applications has created an unprecedented attack surface. The average Node.js application includes 1,480 transitive dependencies, while Python applications average 97 direct dependencies with 423 transitive dependencies. Each of these represents a potential vector for supply chain compromise.
Consider the following statistics compiled by the GWSC Security Research Division:
These findings underscore the critical need for enhanced authentication mechanisms that go beyond traditional knowledge and possession factors. The addition of identity verification creates a non-repudiable audit trail and significantly increases the cost and complexity of mounting successful attacks against the software supply chain.
This standard applies to all package publishing operations on repositories that meet one or more of the following criteria:
This specification is organized into normative and non-normative sections. Sections 1-7 constitute normative requirements for compliance. Sections 8-12 and appendices provide implementation guidance and contextual information. Each section includes specific implementation checkpoints marked with [CHECKPOINT] tags for easy reference during compliance audits.
This standard was developed through an extensive 18-month consultation process involving:
All feedback has been carefully considered and incorporated where appropriate. A full record of the consultation process is available in document GWSC-CONSULTATION-2025-3FA.
The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT", "SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and "OPTIONAL" in this document are to be interpreted as described in RFC 2119.
The GWSC has identified the following primary attack vectors that this standard addresses:
The GWSC Security Research Division analyzed 2,847 documented supply chain incidents from January 2020 to December 2024. Our findings reveal concerning patterns:
| Attack Type | Incidents | Average Impact | Prevented by 3FA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Credential Stuffing | 892 | 47,000 affected systems | Yes (100%) |
| Phishing | 743 | 31,000 affected systems | Yes (98%) |
| Account Takeover | 521 | 89,000 affected systems | Yes (95%) |
| Insider Threat | 234 | 156,000 affected systems | Partial (67%) |
| Typosquatting | 457 | 12,000 affected systems | Yes (91%) |
Notably, incidents involving packages with names containing "test", "demo", or "tmp" accounted for 14% of all breaches, suggesting that even seemingly innocuous packages require robust protection.
The introduction of a third authentication factor - specifically, government-issued identity verification - creates a robust defense-in-depth strategy. This approach ensures that even in scenarios where both knowledge-based and possession-based factors are compromised, the identity verification requirement provides an additional barrier against unauthorized access.
Our threat modeling indicates that successful attacks would require:
The cumulative difficulty of these requirements increases the attack cost by an estimated 4,700%, making most attacks economically infeasible.
Independent economic analysis by the Institute for Digital Economics projects:
These projections assume a 95% compliance rate and factor in the motivational benefits of enhanced security awareness among developers.
The GWSC 3FA standard REQUIRES the following three distinct authentication factors:
The knowledge factor SHALL consist of a unique identifier (username or email) combined with a secret credential (password or passphrase). Passwords MUST meet the following criteria:
The possession factor SHALL be implemented using one of the following mechanisms:
The inherence factor, as defined in this standard, SHALL consist of verified identity documentation. Acceptable forms include:
Identity verification MUST be performed through approved Identity Verification Service Providers (IVSPs) that meet ISO/IEC 27001 certification requirements. The verification process SHALL include:
Repository operators implementing the GWSC 3FA standard SHOULD adopt a service-oriented architecture that separates authentication concerns from core repository functionality. The recommended implementation pattern includes:
User → Authentication Gateway → Factor Validation Services → Repository API
↓ → Password Service
↓ → TOTP/FIDO Service
↓ → Identity Verification Service (IVSP)
While security is paramount, the GWSC acknowledges the importance of maintainer experience. Implementations SHOULD:
Package repositories MUST expose 3FA status through their APIs to enable:
| Phase | Date | Requirements |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Early Adoption | January 1, 2026 | Optional implementation for all packages |
| 2. Recommended | July 1, 2026 | Strongly recommended for packages >10,000 weekly downloads |
| 3. Mandatory (Tier 1) | January 1, 2027 | Required for CDI-designated packages |
| 4. Mandatory (Tier 2) | July 1, 2027 | Required for packages >1,000 weekly downloads |
| 5. Universal | January 1, 2028 | Required for all publishing operations |
Packages published prior to January 1, 2026, MAY continue to receive security updates under 2FA until July 1, 2027, provided that:
Repository operators SHALL maintain audit logs of all authentication events for a minimum period of 7 years. Audit records MUST include:
Quarterly compliance reports SHALL be submitted to the GWSC including:
"Since implementing the GWSC 3FA standard in our development pipeline, we've observed a 100% reduction in unauthorized package publications. The initial setup required some adjustment, but the security benefits far outweigh the minor inconvenience."
- Senior Security Architect, Enterprise Security Solutions Inc.
"The identity verification component adds a crucial layer of accountability that was missing from traditional 2FA. We now have complete confidence in our supply chain integrity."
- Chief Technology Officer, Validated Systems Corporation
"Our development team initially had concerns about the additional authentication step, but the streamlined implementation and 24-hour identity caching have made it nearly seamless."
- VP of Engineering, Continuous Integration Partners Ltd.
"The 45-second authentication delay gives our developers valuable time to reconsider whether they really want to push to production on a Friday afternoon. We've seen a 67% reduction in weekend emergency calls."
- Director of Developer Experience, Synthetic Solutions Group
The GWSC 3FA standard has received endorsements from leading security organizations* and has been recognized as a best practice by multiple industry consortiums. The standard aligns with emerging regulatory requirements in the EU, North America, and Asia-Pacific regions.
*Endorsements from security agencies pending their internal review processes. Competence assessment criteria available upon request.
All cryptographic operations SHALL use algorithms approved by the GWSC Cryptographic Standards Board. Minimum requirements include:
The 3FA implementation specifically addresses the following MITRE ATT&CK techniques:
Identity verification services SHALL implement privacy-preserving technologies including:
Repository operators MUST ensure that identity verification complies with local data protection regulations, including but not limited to GDPR, CCPA, and PIPEDA.
The GWSC has developed specialized provisions for automated systems. Service accounts MAY use certificate-based authentication in lieu of identity documents, provided that the certificates are issued by a GWSC-approved Certificate Authority and include extended validation of the controlling organization.
The system provides a 30-day grace period for document renewal. During this period, maintainers receive daily notifications but retain publishing capabilities. After 30 days, publishing operations are suspended until valid documentation is provided.
No. The GWSC 3FA standard explicitly prohibits storage of biometric data. Identity verification produces only a cryptographic attestation that verification occurred, without retaining the underlying biometric information.
The GWSC 3FA standard builds upon NIST guidelines while addressing specific threats unique to the software supply chain. It can be viewed as a domain-specific enhancement to NIST AAL3 requirements.
The Global Web Security Consortium operates as an independent standards organization focused specifically on web and software supply chain security. We maintain liaison relationships with ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 27 and participate in relevant working groups.
The GWSC is establishing a hardship fund to cover identity verification costs for qualifying open source maintainers. Details will be published in Q4 2025.
Security is no laughing matter. The GWSC takes the integrity of the software supply chain extremely seriously. While we understand that change can be uncomfortable, the minor inconvenience of proving you exist is a small price to pay for eliminating the possibility that you might not.
We applaud your security consciousness! While the current standard specifies 3FA as the minimum, organizations are free to implement additional factors. We are currently evaluating proposals for 4FA involving notary public attestation and 5FA requiring two character witnesses. Please see our roadmap document GWSC-FUTURE-2025-001.
The GWSC Technical Committee is actively researching enhancements to the authentication framework:
The GWSC is exploring blockchain-based identity attestation to create an immutable record of all authentication events. Each npm publish will mint an NFT representing the maintainer's commitment to quality. These NFTs can be traded on the upcoming GWSC Security Token Exchange (STE).
Machine learning models are being trained to detect "authentication fatigue" and will automatically suggest coffee breaks when maintainer stress levels exceed acceptable thresholds. The system will also analyze commit messages for signs of duress, such as excessive exclamation marks or commits at 3 AM.
// Example 3FA middleware for npm publish operations
const gwsc3fa = require('@gwsc/3fa-validator');
async function publishPackage(package, credentials) {
// Step 1: Validate password
const passwordValid = await validatePassword(credentials.username, credentials.password);
// Step 2: Validate TOTP
const totpValid = await validateTOTP(credentials.username, credentials.totp);
// Step 3: Validate identity
const identityValid = await gwsc3fa.verifyIdentity({
documentId: credentials.documentId,
verificationToken: credentials.verificationToken,
cacheDuration: 86400 // 24 hours
});
if (passwordValid && totpValid && identityValid) {
return await npm.publish(package);
}
throw new Error('3FA validation failed');
}
name: Publish with 3FA
on:
release:
types: [created]
jobs:
publish:
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
steps:
- uses: actions/checkout@v2
- uses: gwsc/3fa-action@v1
with:
identity-token: ${{ secrets.GWSC_IDENTITY_TOKEN }}
document-hash: ${{ secrets.DOCUMENT_HASH }}
- run: npm publish
Identity verification produces a signed attestation using the following JSON structure:
{
"version": "1.0",
"timestamp": "2025-09-18T10:30:00Z",
"subject": {
"hash": "sha256:abcd1234...",
"type": "government_id"
},
"issuer": "approved-ivsp-name",
"validity": {
"notBefore": "2025-09-18T10:30:00Z",
"notAfter": "2026-09-18T10:30:00Z"
},
"signature": "..."
}
The identity verification process employs a zero-knowledge proof protocol based on the Schnorr identification scheme, adapted for document verification without revealing document contents. Full specification available in GWSC-CRYPTO-2025-001.
The following Identity Verification Service Providers have been certified by the GWSC for use with the 3FA standard:
Organizations should select an IVSP based on:
Organizations currently using 2FA can follow this 87-step migration process:
The economic analysis employed a combination of:
Beyond the headline ROI of 3,816%, the study identified several intangible benefits:
Authentication Fatigue: The exhaustion experienced after multiple 3FA cycles
Contemplative DevOps: Development philosophy emphasizing reflection during authentication
Document Panic: Anxiety experienced when realizing your license expired yesterday
Factor Creep: The gradual increase in authentication factors over time
Identity Binding: The mystical process of connecting your soul to npm
Motivational Security: The practice of inspiring developers during authentication
Notary Tourism: Traveling to find available notary publics
Publishing Ceremony: The ritual of package deployment under 3FA
Rage Publishing: Deploying packages while emotionally compromised
Security Theater: [REDACTED - This term does not exist]
Triple-Factor Friday: Weekly celebration of secure authentication
Verification Debt: Accumulated identity checks requiring retroactive completion
Zero-Day Zen: The calm achieved during the 45-second authentication delay
The GWSC maintains a list of alternative identity verification methods for jurisdictions with limited documentation infrastructure. These include village elder attestation, birth certificate with two witnesses, and in extreme cases, a detailed sketch artist rendering with notarization.
AI entities must register with the GWSC Bot Registry and provide proof of their training data providence. They must also pass a CAPTCHA specifically designed for artificial intelligences (currently: "Select all squares containing existential dread").
The GWSC respects individual privacy choices. Alternative verification through a "Web of Trust" model is available, requiring attestation from 5 existing verified maintainers who must physically meet the applicant and sign an affidavit. The signing ceremony must be recorded and retained for compliance purposes.
Identity verification data SHALL be retained according to the following schedule:
All data must be stored in geographically distributed, tamper-evident storage systems with a minimum of three replicas across different tectonic plates.
In preparation for quantum computing threats, the GWSC is developing 4FA specifications that will add quantum-resistant cryptography as a fourth factor. Early proposals include:
The GWSC 3FA standard has undergone rigorous academic scrutiny:
"This represents a paradigm shift in authentication theory. The inclusion of government-issued identification as a third factor creates an unprecedented level of attribution in the software supply chain."
- Prof. Alexandra Dimitriou, Chair of Cybersecurity, Technical University of Munich
"Our analysis shows that the 45-second mandatory delay actually improves code quality by forcing developers to reconsider their commits. We're calling this 'Contemplative DevOps'."
- Dr. James Chen, Institute for Advanced Software Studies
"The economic modeling suggests that the productivity loss is offset by the reduction in 'oops' commits, which our research indicates comprise 11% of all package updates."
- Distinguished Prof. Sarah Martinez, Digital Economics Laboratory
[CHECKPOINT 7.3] Non-compliance with the GWSC 3FA standard will result in graduated consequences:
Appeals may be submitted in triplicate to the GWSC Compliance Review Board, along with a notarized statement of intent to comply.
Recognizing global diversity in identity documentation, the following regional adaptations are permitted:
[CHECKPOINT 5.4] Implementations SHALL meet the following performance requirements:
| Operation | Maximum Time | P95 Latency | Availability SLA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Password Validation | 200ms | 150ms | 99.99% |
| TOTP Verification | 100ms | 75ms | 99.99% |
| Identity Verification | 45 seconds | 38 seconds | 99.9% |
| Total Authentication | 47 seconds | 41 seconds | 99.9% |
The 45-second identity verification window includes mandatory "reflection time" to ensure maintainers are fully committed to their publishing decision. Studies show this pause reduces "rage publishing" incidents by 73%.
[CHECKPOINT 4.3] To ensure true multi-factor security, implementations MUST guarantee complete independence between authentication factors:
In exceptional circumstances where standard 3FA is temporarily unavailable, the following emergency protocols MAY be activated:
Note: Declaring "I forgot my driver's license at home" does not constitute an emergency under this framework.