# CVE-2026-48161: react18-use was vulnerable to malicious code execution via compromised commits

> Malicious commits in react18-use executed remote code on developer machines during npm install, requiring credential rotation and machine cleanup.

- **Severity:** Critical 9.3 (`CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 10 Aug 2026
- **Updated:** 11 Aug 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-32xh-vg5f-64fm

## What is CVE-2026-48161?

CVE-2026-48161 is a critical vulnerability in dai-shi react18-use, published on 10 Aug 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

react18-use is a React 19 use hook shim. Between 2026-05-19 01:07:01 and 2026-05-19 15:20:43, the default branch contained malicious commits 7b79148d1495a2505f9277da295a98cf176f4496 through 7b79148d1495a2505f9277da295a98cf176f4496 that executed remote attacker-controlled code on developer machines during `npm install`. The commits were removed by force-push, but local clones, forks, and direct-SHA URLs may still contain them, and `npm install` against an affected checkout will still execute the code today. The package was not published to npm. `src/install.js` was added and wired into the `postinstall` script. It fetched a JavaScript payload from an attacker-controlled HTTPS endpoint (configurable via an environment variable), disabled TLS verification, and evaluated the response as code with `require` available. Execution was deliberately skipped on CI and cloud/serverless environments, targeting developer workstations. The second-stage payload was attacker-hosted and cannot be reconstructed. Assume full compromise of anything reachable from a Node process with the user's permissions. Those who ran `npm install` against an affected checkout on a developer machine on or after 2026-05-19 01:07:01 should treat the machine as compromised, rotate every credential the machine could reach, audit account activity since 2026-05-19 01:07:01, and clean local clones.

Weakness: CWE-506 (Embedded Malicious Code)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-48161?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-48161?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-48161 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2026-48161 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-48161 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-48161 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-48161 is a critical vulnerability in dai-shi react18-use, published on 10 Aug 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-48161 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: dai-shi react18-use. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-48161/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-48161/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-48161
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-48161
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-48161

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-48161/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.