How-to GuidesSecurityDependency ProxyCache Management

Cache Management

Initialization Protection

To prevent cache poisoning attacks, the proxy blocks all requests until the malicious package database is fully loaded. This ensures:

  • No malicious packages can be cached during the initialization window
  • The system is secure by default
  • Users receive a clear “Service is initializing” message if they try to install packages too early

Integrity Verification

All cached packages are protected with SHA256 checksums:

  1. When caching, the proxy calculates and stores a SHA256 hash
  2. Before serving from cache, the hash is verified
  3. If verification fails, the cache is invalidated and the package is refetched

This prevents:

  • Cache corruption from disk errors
  • Manual tampering with cached files
  • Serving compromised packages

Cache Poisoning Prevention

The proxy checks packages for malicious content before caching:

  1. Malicious packages are never cached
  2. If a package becomes flagged after being cached, it’s automatically removed
  3. Each request is checked against the latest database