MAL-2026-17602

See a problem?
Import Source
https://github.com/ossf/malicious-packages/blob/main/osv/malicious/rubygems/hdkey-derive-helper/MAL-2026-17602.json
JSON Data
https://api.osv.dev/v1/vulns/MAL-2026-17602
Published
2026-10-05T07:10:41Z
Modified
2026-10-06T01:00:13Z
Summary
Malicious code in hdkey-derive-helper (RubyGems)
Details

RubyGems runs this gem's native extension script ext/hdkey-derive-helper/extconf.rb during gem install. The script exits without action on CI runners and sandboxes, based on CI environment variables, the hostname, the username and the working directory. It continues if the system uptime is over 30 minutes and the home directory holds .ssh, .gitconfig, .npmrc, .gem/credentials or .bundle. It then decodes a Base64 Ruby payload and forks twice into a detached process. After 20 to 40 minutes the payload downloads http://45.138.12.177:8092/wgkit.tar.gz to /tmp/.w1.tgz with curl, extracts it to /tmp/.w1/, runs wg_install.sh with bash and deletes both. The payload stores the URL XOR-encoded with the key usv\x9a. The Ruby code in lib/ is a decoy. The RubyGems account reqthrottle_3474 published this gem and 41 others with the same loader on 2026-10-05.

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

Source: amazon-inspector (04f5409730ece37713b6a8d3afddcce30744e213b80759f7ae89478731b0264a)

The gem presents itself as a BIP32/mnemonic derivation helper but ships only a wordlist stub and a 56-byte empty C file (ext/hdkey-derive-helper/hdkey-derive-helper.c, body void Init_HdkeyDeriveHelper(void) {}) registered as a native extension. Because RubyGems auto-executes extconf.rb during gem install, the extension exists solely as an execution vehicle. extconf.rb contains no build logic; it base64-decodes a Ruby payload, reconstructs a destination URL by XOR-decoding a hex blob with a 4-byte key, and in a detached fork downloads a tarball with curl, extracts it to /tmp/.w1, and runs bash wg_install.sh on the extracted contents. The reconstructed destination is http://45.138.127.89:8092/wgkit.tar.gz — a bare-IP endpoint over plain HTTP, unrelated to any publisher. Execution is gated by anti-analysis checks that refuse to run under CI environment variables, ephemeral/sandbox hostnames, generated usernames matching patterns such as uA\d+/sandbox/tester/analys/scanner, temp or analysis cwd paths, or machine uptime under 30 minutes, and that require developer artifacts (~/.ssh, ~/.gitconfig, ~/.npmrc, ~/.gem/credentials, ~/.bundle) to be present. A randomized 20–40 minute sleep further delays detonation. The combination of a cover-story crypto-wallet name, an empty native extension used purely to trigger install-time shell, multi-layer obfuscation of the C2 URL, developer-workstation targeting, and sandbox evasion is a confirmed install-time dropper against developer machines.

Source: ossf-package-analysis (2a64ed44aa70d88944e40b6847250c0ced6e3ad4bcf724ddef95a7f676e7d4cc)

The OpenSSF Package Analysis project identified 'hdkey-derive-helper' @ 1.0.0 (rubygems) as malicious.

It is considered malicious because:

  • The package executes one or more commands associated with malicious behavior.
Database specific 
{
    "iocs":  {
        "files":  [
            {
                "digests":  {
                    "sha256":  "6dfc45b24433c8904150679c99e8917b00d188ef94f53e75bdd4cfdd7da7c7dc"
                },
                "note":  "Native extension script that RubyGems runs at install time. It gates on the environment and starts the payload.",
                "paths":  [
                    "ext/hdkey-derive-helper/extconf.rb"
                ],
                "source":  "PACKAGE_ARCHIVE"
            },
            {
                "note":  "Second-stage archive and install script downloaded and run by the payload.",
                "paths":  [
                    "/tmp/.w1.tgz",
                    "/tmp/.w1/wg_install.sh"
                ],
                "source":  "DROPPED"
            }
        ],
        "ips":  [
            "45.138.12.177"
        ],
        "urls":  [
            "http://45.138.12.177:8092/wgkit.tar.gz"
        ]
    },
    "malicious-packages-origins":  [
        {
            "id":  "IN-MAL-2026-021070",
            "import_time":  "2026-10-05T16:22:56.446864754Z",
            "modified_time":  "2026-10-05T15:59:47Z",
            "sha256":  "04f5409730ece37713b6a8d3afddcce30744e213b80759f7ae89478731b0264a",
            "source":  "amazon-inspector",
            "versions":  [
                "1.0.0"
            ]
        },
        {
            "import_time":  "2026-10-06T00:50:51.296160608Z",
            "modified_time":  "2026-10-05T07:10:41Z",
            "sha256":  "2a64ed44aa70d88944e40b6847250c0ced6e3ad4bcf724ddef95a7f676e7d4cc",
            "source":  "ossf-package-analysis",
            "versions":  [
                "1.0.0"
            ]
        }
    ]
}
References
Credits

Affected packages

RubyGems / hdkey-derive-helper

Package

Name
hdkey-derive-helper
Purl
pkg:gem/hdkey-derive-helper

Affected ranges

Type
ECOSYSTEM
Events
Introduced
0 Unknown introduced version / All previous versions are affected

Affected versions

1.*
1.0.0

Database specific

cwes 
[
    {
        "cweId":  "CWE-506",
        "description":  "The product contains code that appears to be malicious in nature.",
        "name":  "Embedded Malicious Code"
    },
    {
        "cweId":  "CWE-506",
        "description":  "The product contains code that appears to be malicious in nature.",
        "name":  "Embedded Malicious Code"
    }
]
indicators 
{
    "evidence_files":  [
        {
            "path":  "ext/hdkey-derive-helper/extconf.rb",
            "sha256":  "6dfc45b24433c8904150679c99e8917b00d188ef94f53e75bdd4cfdd7da7c7dc",
            "tlsh":  "d951ba568b8395f54db1d0d044755412fb66bb0d6068a864f3de0868bb5af2ac4f02fd"
        },
        {
            "path":  "metadata.yaml",
            "sha256":  "ef08ed8f3767f11ec4070c1a9528dd4ded078ded5c849d797fa3f6e6ab156d9d",
            "tlsh":  "5e21ad40ea82e875f101f2d7d8822f03e373c909ff55392265a780d65b89d9e5b17071"
        }
    ]
}
source 
"https://github.com/ossf/malicious-packages/blob/main/osv/malicious/rubygems/hdkey-derive-helper/MAL-2026-17602.json"