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Abstract
Modern software supply chains face an increasing threat from malicious code
hidden in trusted components such as browser extensions, IDE extensions, and
open-source packages. This paper introduces JavaSith, a novel client-side
framework for analyzing potentially malicious extensions in web browsers,
Visual Studio Code (VSCode), and Node's NPM packages. JavaSith combines a
runtime sandbox that emulates browser/Node.js extension APIs (with a ``time
machine'' to accelerate time-based triggers) with static analysis and a local
large language model (LLM) to assess risk from code and metadata. We present
the design and architecture of JavaSith, including techniques for intercepting
extension behavior over simulated time and extracting suspicious patterns.
Through case studies on real-world attacks (such as a supply-chain compromise
of a Chrome extension and malicious VSCode extensions installing cryptominers),
we demonstrate how JavaSith can catch stealthy malicious behaviors that evade
traditional detection. We evaluate the framework's effectiveness and discuss
its limitations and future enhancements. JavaSith's client-side approach
empowers end-users/organizations to vet extensions and packages before
trustingly integrating them into their environments.