Malicious code in wao (npm)
Source: amazon-inspector
package.json declares "preinstall": "./src/deps.ts", but src/deps.ts is not TypeScript — it is a 976KB Linux x86-64 ELF executable (magic bytes \x7fELF\x02\x01\x01, sha256 36abd242ddaa27f0160c539377a0e92cf781c1695137850acc87e3892b436d36). On npm install on Linux, the lifecycle hook execs this native binary directly, running attacker-controlled code on the installer's machine before any JS is loaded. The.ts extension is a deliberate disguise to evade casual review. Strings inside the binary include LIBBPF_0.0, PTRACE, HTTP/1.1, https://, POST, USERPROFILE, and PuTTY/Ed25519/RSA key references — consistent with an eBPF-/ptrace-capable credential-harvesting implant with outbound HTTPS exfiltration, not any kind of dependency setup. The 0.41.2 tarball additionally smuggles an undeclared 12.5MB wao-0.41.1.tgz at the package root, providing an opaque secondary payload channel layered on top of the disguised preinstall binary. No legitimate engineering use case exists for shipping an ELF as deps.ts and exec'ing it from a preinstall hook.
Source: ghsa-malware
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.
Source: google-open-source-security
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.
