MAL-2026-4544

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Import Source
https://github.com/ossf/malicious-packages/blob/main/osv/malicious/npm/cwao/MAL-2026-4544.json
JSON Data
https://api.osv.dev/v1/vulns/MAL-2026-4544
Published
2026-05-26T01:00:11Z
Modified
2026-06-04T23:16:41Z
Summary
Malicious code in cwao (npm)
Details

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

Source: amazon-inspector (f48b0fefe9d99bcebeaa878f5bb2ca40df917b40785d6b5b8a31cf6e70a44970)

package.json declares "preinstall": "./vendor/setup", which directly executes a 976,568-byte packed Linux x86 ELF binary shipped in the tarball. The README advertises the package as a pure-JS CosmWasm/Arweave AO SDK and never mentions a native binary. The binary is opaque (mostly non-printable, UPX-style packing) with no shipped source, no binding.gyp, no node-gyp/prebuild-install manifest, no version pin and no hash verification. Embedded string fragments include LIBBPF, PTRACE, /proc, HTTP/1.1, https://, RSA, and USERPROFILE — capabilities (kernel BPF, process tracing, outbound HTTPS, credential paths) entirely unrelated to a JavaScript SDK. Every installer running npm install cwao on Linux executes this attacker-controlled native code with the user's privileges before any JavaScript loads. This matches the generic-binary-runner-dropper pattern: undocumented binary, purpose mismatch with the advertised package function, opaque payload, no integrity check, direct lifecycle invocation.

Source: google-open-source-security (146faaf0d97c6a533a969bc3f3f117811f9317dc865ed4ab37f1679842ddeaae)

This package was compromised as part of the IronWorm campaign. This campaign executes a malicious binary payload during installation via a preinstall hook. The payload is a Rust-built infostealer that targets developer environments, scanning for and harvesting credentials related to cloud providers, object storage, databases, source-control, package registries, and AI developer tools. It also targets cryptocurrency wallets, specifically injecting a malicious JavaScript hook into the Exodus desktop wallet to capture passwords and recovery phrases. Furthermore, the malware exhibits worm-like behavior by stealing GitHub and NPM credentials to push malicious updates to the victim's repositories and publish trojanized packages, and it uses an eBPF-based kernel rootkit to hide its processes and network connections on Linux systems.

Database specific 
{
    "malicious-packages-origins": [
        {
            "id": "IN-MAL-2026-004812",
            "import_time": "2026-05-26T05:53:19.818631405Z",
            "modified_time": "2026-05-26T01:00:11Z",
            "sha256": "f48b0fefe9d99bcebeaa878f5bb2ca40df917b40785d6b5b8a31cf6e70a44970",
            "source": "amazon-inspector",
            "versions": [
                "0.5.6"
            ]
        },
        {
            "import_time": "2026-06-04T22:42:01.227855Z",
            "modified_time": "2026-06-04T22:28:51.769005667Z",
            "sha256": "146faaf0d97c6a533a969bc3f3f117811f9317dc865ed4ab37f1679842ddeaae",
            "source": "google-open-source-security",
            "versions": [
                "0.5.6"
            ]
        }
    ]
}
References
Credits

Affected packages

npm / cwao

Package

Name
cwao
View open source insights on deps.dev
Purl
pkg:npm/cwao

Affected ranges

Affected versions

0.*
0.5.6

Database specific

cwes 
[
    {
        "cweId": "CWE-506",
        "description": "The product contains code that appears to be malicious in nature.",
        "name": "Embedded Malicious Code"
    }
]
indicators 
{
    "evidence_files": [
        {
            "path": "package.json",
            "sha256": "ca27f75993ecf5d67e86785db2b802ae5d29f3be58c72dc3a099860dc7ab4c73",
            "tlsh": "f5d0a770ce50d97308c452a4453741077a514c17180cfc0533c3621cea9d92728be80d"
        },
        {
            "path": "vendor/setup",
            "sha256": "36abd242ddaa27f0160c539377a0e92cf781c1695137850acc87e3892b436d36",
            "tlsh": "0c2533ab0025062b904d957a58963bd279c17c81afcc3662664dae742fb59c3cf63fc3"
        }
    ],
    "package_integrity": [
        {
            "filename": "cwao-0.5.6.tgz",
            "hashes": {
                "sha1": "7262681647715f30866efa1297c35d613c2a3378",
                "sha512_sri": "sha512-uac/OmjHf5ooHW/a20jqdVwK5E9OGdP/AUTk/DtZKeHfmS8BJFaoIZgm5j0ldDn/g4lVg0NpHGr8tJWd2CggoQ=="
            }
        }
    ]
}
source 
"https://github.com/ossf/malicious-packages/blob/main/osv/malicious/npm/cwao/MAL-2026-4544.json"