MAL-2026-18289: Malicious code in paychex-pdftron (npm)

Published Oct 25, 2026
·
Updated

--- -= Per source details. Do not edit below this line.=-

Source: amazon-inspector (d32ec8b2ca67156d94943a27b9b7c98f1888d530d7a6f947e49b40f52ec054b3) paychex-pdftron@99.9.1 ships an empty stub (module.exports = {}) and declares its sole dependency ltidisafe as a bare HTTPS tarball URL (https://ltidi.storage.googleapis.com/depenconf/ltidisafe-4.0.5.tgz) rather than a registry version range. On npm install, npm fetches whatever bytes that URL returns and installs the resulting package, executing any lifecycle scripts it contains — with no version pin, no integrity hash, and no signature verification. The package name resembles an internal Paychex scope, the version is an implausibly high 99.9.1 (a dependency-confusion resolution tactic), the URL path segment is depenconf, and the host is unrelated to any legitimate Paychex or pdftron domain. The manifest alone is the attack surface: resolving this dependency pulls attacker-controlled code into the installer's build environment.

Source: ghsa-malware (f176a5672301d76d7c08b93a46b074c23cdf0d36d46324d30dc8aceaa55ed707) Any computer that has this package installed or running should be considered fully compromised. All secrets and keys stored on that computer should be rotated immediately from a different computer. The package should be removed, but as full control of the computer may have been given to an outside entity, there is no guarantee that removing the package will remove all malicious software resulting from installing it.

Affected Software

1 affected component
npm/paychex-pdftron*

Remediation

Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.

  1. Remove

    Remove npm/paychex-pdftron from your environment.

    Remove the paychex-pdftron package from any computer where it is installed or running.

  2. Operational

    Rotate all secrets and keys stored on the affected computer immediately, using a different computer.

Event History

Oct 25, 2026
Advisory Published
via OSV·02:42 PM
Data Sourced
via OSV·02:42 PM
DescriptionAffected Software

Contact

SecAlerts Pty Ltd.
132 Wickham Terrace
Fortitude Valley,
QLD 4006, Australia
info@secalerts.co
By using SecAlerts services, you agree to our services end-user license agreement. This website is safeguarded by reCAPTCHA and governed by the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. All names, logos, and brands of products are owned by their respective owners, and any usage of these names, logos, and brands for identification purposes only does not imply endorsement. If you possess any content that requires removal, please get in touch with us.
© 2026 SecAlerts Pty Ltd.
ABN: 70 645 966 203, ACN: 645 966 203