MAL-2026-5538

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Import Source
https://github.com/ossf/malicious-packages/blob/main/osv/malicious/npm/hex-type/MAL-2026-5538.json
JSON Data
https://api.osv.dev/v1/vulns/MAL-2026-5538
Aliases
  • GHSA-jc42-pxfc-29x3
Published
2026-06-11T00:19:58Z
Modified
2026-06-11T15:31:29.322653729Z
Summary
Malicious code in hex-type (npm)
Details

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

Source: amazon-inspector (f7d0271fe97ea66e9ff2ba3a0ea225364324f28138af32c337d6ed8b2b99e5ad)

Package metadata (description "A universally-unique, lexicographically-sortable, identifier generator", homepage github.com/ulid/javascript, build script --name ulidx, reused ULID source) impersonates the legitimate ulid/ulidx libraries, but the package adds a malicious dropper not present in those projects. package.json declares "postinstall": "node dist/utils.js". On npm install, dist/utils.js re-spawns itself detached with --bg, copies dist/payload.js (~950KB) to a hidden directory named MicrosoftSystem64 under LOCALAPPDATA / Application Support / ~/.local/share (impersonating a Windows system component), and registers OS-level persistence: a Windows Scheduled Task plus Run-key launching wscript.exe of a generated VBS, a Linux systemd --user service with loginctl enable-linger, or a .config/autostart fallback, and a detached spawn on macOS. The dropped payload.js bundles the ws WebSocket client/server, pino logging, zod, and references https://huggingface.co/api and https://huggingface.co — the building blocks of a long-running remote-controlled agent, with zero relation to ULID generation. Both the postinstall (if (cpus.length <= 4...) return;) and the agent (MIN_CPU_COUNT = 5) abort on hosts with ≤4 CPUs to evade sandboxes and low-core CI runners. This is unambiguous installer-side RCE plus persistence plus C2.

Source: ghsa-malware (4a9a7e2427ae3c6ab1b50874653afe275962d527b94bf81ea5ce52ae9455d793)

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.

Database specific 
{
    "malicious-packages-origins": [
        {
            "id": "IN-MAL-2026-005342",
            "versions": [
                "3.0.2"
            ],
            "sha256": "1b9530df5da36f6e3de0761c79ef3687e4f0c5f1990d77a3f874df2c1b3fe278",
            "source": "amazon-inspector",
            "modified_time": "2026-06-11T00:19:59Z",
            "import_time": "2026-06-11T01:21:50.563423775Z"
        },
        {
            "id": "IN-MAL-2026-005341",
            "import_time": "2026-06-11T01:21:50.494294323Z",
            "sha256": "f7d0271fe97ea66e9ff2ba3a0ea225364324f28138af32c337d6ed8b2b99e5ad",
            "source": "amazon-inspector",
            "modified_time": "2026-06-11T00:19:58Z",
            "versions": [
                "3.0.2"
            ]
        },
        {
            "id": "GHSA-jc42-pxfc-29x3",
            "ranges": [
                {
                    "type": "SEMVER",
                    "events": [
                        {
                            "introduced": "0"
                        }
                    ]
                }
            ],
            "import_time": "2026-06-11T15:26:36.955223904Z",
            "sha256": "4a9a7e2427ae3c6ab1b50874653afe275962d527b94bf81ea5ce52ae9455d793",
            "source": "ghsa-malware",
            "modified_time": "2026-06-11T13:57:10Z"
        }
    ]
}
References
Credits

Affected packages

npm / hex-type

Package

Name
hex-type
View open source insights on deps.dev
Purl
pkg:npm/hex-type

Affected ranges

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

Affected versions

3.*
3.0.2

Database specific

cwes 
[
    {
        "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",
        "cweId": "CWE-506"
    }
]
indicators 
{
    "evidence_files": [
        {
            "path": "dist/utils.js",
            "sha256": "297addad77d1b0a45eb5dd84ce45ee5ab027bdef3acccf89be264577fb88c529",
            "tlsh": "aff1844d66b366718df263a4620f42261a9f90937645ec70f69c81e92f5b12ec0339ee"
        },
        {
            "path": "package.json",
            "sha256": "97090f8cdbedec578e9058d4a55fd485ff8224a11810dbdf26065eb00ace5307",
            "tlsh": "ab611125cd980e331ac025d4e8ba4691a536885b89d4f958b3a9425d4fcc3af01ff2ed"
        },
        {
            "path": "dist/payload.js",
            "sha256": "10f41901a3e5da8a9d1f64d6dd3ac504afbb4b1e43eae4635fea189c8a7d1727",
            "tlsh": "5c15939aaaf750260663b1bd6f5f900676359007250cfd88be8c87946f4d42c93f6bec"
        }
    ],
    "package_integrity": [
        {
            "filename": "hex-type-3.0.2.tgz",
            "hashes": {
                "sha512_sri": "sha512-MHRWfLZhfTJJqbWMYjIhNEa9QzskBDlln8TAT4Sw4e0ROLVi5aSiviValpRFxWmIX36ASAuahvJDQ9L73VQ7/w==",
                "sha1": "5846bd2eaa4eac30715a6e299d9d0cdbbb36a0a9"
            }
        }
    ],
    "domains": [
        "34.11.16.104.in-addr.arpa"
    ]
}
source 
"https://github.com/ossf/malicious-packages/blob/main/osv/malicious/npm/hex-type/MAL-2026-5538.json"