MAL-2026-18616: Malicious code in smooth_angelfish_emerald-54 (npm)
Part of a self-republishing campaign: generated names of the form <adjective><animal><colour>-<number>, each package shipping the same autopublish.js, which runs npm publish --access public to publish the package again. Self-replicating publication is the propagation step of a registry worm and fills the registry with copies. Version examined: 2.2.2; tarball SHA-256 223ace08ab038a6ee47fd7d04a2f489d9d4817d4b147f164be1de264918235c1.
Affected Software
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
What action triggers the malicious behavior?
The examined package includes autopublish.js, which runs `npm publish --access public` to publish the package again. The provided data does not state when or how that script is invoked.
What is the practical impact if it executes?
It republishes the package publicly as part of a self-replicating registry-worm campaign. This propagation fills the npm registry with additional copies using generated package names.
How can I identify the examined artifact?
The examined version is 2.2.2, and its tarball SHA-256 is 223ace08ab038a6ee47fd7d04a2f489d9d4817d4b147f164be1de264918235c1.