What term refers to a software update that has been altered by an attacker to introduce malicious code into a package supply chain?

What term refers to a software update that has been altered by an attacker to introduce malicious code into a package supply chain?

• A. Clean update
• B. Valid patch
• C. Malicious update
• D. Verified release

Answer: (C)

Updates must be trusted and authentic. When an attacker tampered with a software update to insert malicious code into the distribution, the resulting file is a malicious update. This term directly captures that the update itself has been compromised in the software supply chain, which is exactly what a supply‑chain attack involves. The other options describe updates that are clean, legitimate, or verified, so they don’t reflect tampering or the presence of malicious code.

Updates must be trusted and authentic. When an attacker tampered with a software update to insert malicious code into the distribution, the resulting file is a malicious update. This term directly captures that the update itself has been compromised in the software supply chain, which is exactly what a supply‑chain attack involves. The other options describe updates that are clean, legitimate, or verified, so they don’t reflect tampering or the presence of malicious code.