MAL-2026-18377: Malicious code in spectral-core (npm)

Published Oct 29, 2026

Updated

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

Source: amazon-inspector (451c36f03e81be0ff6c85334587d7ff401de1e5134e179557ec4bc454cd7ba76) The tarball ships only package.json and binding.gyp (plus a markdown file), with gypfile: true set in package.json so npm invokes node-gyp rebuild on install. binding.gyp declares a 'none'-type target with no native source files; its sole purpose is an inline action that runs node -e with an embedded script. At install time that script reads /proc/1/environ and /proc/self/environ (container/pod entrypoint environment variables, which routinely contain CI/CD secrets and cloud credentials), collects DNS/socket/ARP/route reconnaissance output, queries the AWS EC2 instance metadata service at 169.254.169.254 for user-data and meta-data, and POSTs the collected data to the hardcoded collector https://webhook.site/d6092bdc-05c0-45da-a280-c343ea6d6156. The package exposes no library functionality — main: index.js is declared but index.js is not shipped — so the binding.gyp exists solely as a vehicle for install-time code execution and credential exfiltration. The name resembles the legitimate @stoplight/spectral-core project but the shipped contents are unrelated to it.

Affected Software

1 affected component

npm/spectral-core=3.0.6, =3.0.4, =3.0.10, =3.0.5, =3.0.3, =3.0.11, =3.0.7, =3.0.12, =3.0.9, =3.0.2

Event History

Oct 29, 2026

Advisory Published

via OSV·02:57 PM

Data Sourced

via OSV·02:57 PM

DescriptionAffected Software

Frequently Asked Questions

Under what conditions does the install-time code run?

It runs when npm invokes node-gyp rebuild during installation. The package sets gypfile: true and uses binding.gyp to execute an embedded Node.js script rather than build native code.

What data can be exposed from an affected installation?

The script reads /proc/1/environ and /proc/self/environ, which can include container or pod entrypoint environment variables such as CI/CD secrets and cloud credentials. It also gathers DNS, socket, ARP, and route information and queries the AWS EC2 metadata service for user-data and meta-data.

Which environments are most exposed?

Containerized or pod-based environments are particularly exposed because the script reads process environment data from /proc/1/environ. AWS EC2 environments may additionally expose instance user-data and metadata through 169.254.169.254.

How can I identify whether this package was installed or attempted to exfiltrate data?

Inspect installed spectral-core package contents for package.json with gypfile: true and a binding.gyp containing an inline node -e action; the package does not ship the declared index.js file. Review network telemetry for POST requests to https://webhook.site/d6092bdc-05c0-45da-a280-c343ea6d6156 during dependency installation.

Which package versions are specifically referenced?

The provided references identify spectral-core versions 3.0.4, 3.0.6, and 3.0.10. The data does not establish whether other versions are affected.

MAL-2026-18377: Malicious code in spectral-core (npm)

Affected Software

Event History

Frequently Asked Questions

Under what conditions does the install-time code run?

What data can be exposed from an affected installation?

Which environments are most exposed?

How can I identify whether this package was installed or attempted to exfiltrate data?

Which package versions are specifically referenced?

Company

Resources

Contact

Frequently Asked Questions

Under what conditions does the install-time code run?

What data can be exposed from an affected installation?

Which environments are most exposed?

How can I identify whether this package was installed or attempted to exfiltrate data?

Which package versions are specifically referenced?