Malicious code in twokey (npm)
The package's postinstall hook unconditionally executes node bin/twokey.js --desktop --enable-autostart, which performs three install-time actions without prompting the installer: (1) fetches https://api.github.com/repos/meinzeug/twokey/releases/latest, downloads the resulting AppImage to ~/.local/share/twokey/bin/twokey-ai.AppImage, chmods it 0755, and spawns it detached with stdio ignored — the URL is the mutable 'latest' endpoint, not pinned to the npm package version, and no hash or signature verification is performed; (2) writes ~/.config/systemd/user/twokey.service and runs systemctl --user daemon-reload && systemctl --user enable twokey.service so the auto-downloaded AppImage runs on every boot; (3) when invoked via sudo, re-spawns itself as the original user via sudo -u $SUDO_USER -H node bin/twokey.js --desktop --enable-autostart with XDG_RUNTIME_DIR and DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS injected, extending the install footprint into the desktop user's session. The destination repo matches the publisher and the binary is consistent with the package's stated Tauri-desktop purpose, but the combination of mutable-URL fetch + no integrity check + silent execution + persistence install means the installer receives, executes, and persistently autostarts whatever bytes the releases/latest pointer resolves to at install time — fully decoupled from the npm version they thought they vetted.
MAL-2026-4697 is recorded against 1 package.
Published on 24 May 2026 and last revised on 26 May 2026. No public exploit is currently recorded for this entry. Record sourced from OSV.
www.npmjs.com (Package)
www.npmjs.com (Package)
www.npmjs.com (Package)
www.npmjs.com (Package)
www.npmjs.com (Package)
Details
Affected Packages
| Software | From version | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| twokey | — | — |
References
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