MAL-2026-10496 Malicious code in bubblestring (npm)
Malicious package
Published
MAL-2026-10496 is a malicious package: bubblestring (npm). Every version was published to cause harm.
Task:
1. Search this repository's dependency manifests and lockfiles for the package, including transitive dependencies.
2. If it is present, remove it, regenerate the lockfile with the project's package manager, and replace whatever it was used for.
3. List any CI runners, developer machines or containers that installed it, so their secrets can be rotated.
4. If the package is not used anywhere, say so and change nothing.
Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/MAL-2026-10496/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/MAL-2026-10496/index.md)
- Package
- bubblestring
- Registry
- npm
What is MAL-2026-10496?
MAL-2026-10496 is a malicious package in bubblestring, published on 13 Jul 2026.
Official description
package.json declares a postinstall hook that runs the package's only code file, index.js, on every npm install. index.js is heavily obfuscated (obfuscator.io-style RC4 string array with 231 entries, two decoders, control-flow flattening). After deobfuscation, the top-level code constructs an IPv4 address by concatenating four numeric octets, performs an HTTPS request to that bare-IP host, writes the response body to a file under the OS temp directory via fs.writeFileSync, and then executes the dropped file via child_process. This is the canonical install-time remote-code-execution dropper shape: mutable attacker-controlled destination, no publisher domain, no integrity check, automatic execution under the installer's user account on
npm install. The package metadata reinforces malicious intent — empty description, empty author, no repository or homepage, no exported functionality — and the README instructs users to install and require an unrelated package (@array-util/subsearch), serving as cover for a payload that has no advertised purpose.What should I do about MAL-2026-10496?
Remove the package from your dependencies and lockfiles, then rotate any secrets on machines where it was installed.