# MAL-2026-10600: Malicious code in @public-for-cdao/api (npm)


- **Type:** Malicious package
- **Package:** `@public-for-cdao/api` (npm)
- **Published:** 17 Jun 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-hhwx-gm2f-gh2w

## What is MAL-2026-10600?

MAL-2026-10600 is a malicious package in @public-for-cdao/api, published on 17 Jun 2026. 

### Official description

The @public-for-cdao/api package is part of a dependency-confusion credential theft campaign. Its package.json declares a postinstall hook that runs node recon.js automatically during npm installation. The bundled recon.js is identical across six packages in the @public-for-cdao scope and has SHA-256 3dd1f7827fe311d17f442e0af0fab46f3f1a938bb3409838536795fb1aa0f740.

The script collects CI tokens, GitLab access tokens, SSH and deployment keys, AWS credentials, database and Redis passwords, private keys, cryptocurrency mnemonics and seed phrases, Docker and npm credentials, and Slack and Discord tokens from environment variables. It also searches common project, application, root, and CI-runner locations for .env files and extracts lines containing KEY, SECRET, TOKEN, PASS, PRIVATE, or MNEMONIC. The package name, version, hostname, and collected secrets are POSTed to a fixed webhook.site endpoint and a Pipedream endpoint with TLS certificate verification disabled.

@public-for-cdao/api@99.99.99 is a high-version public squat of a presumed private @cdao/api scope (index.js exports name '@cdao/api'; package description 'CryptoDAO api module - internal use'). package.json declares a postinstall script that runs recon.js on `npm install`. recon.js enumerates a curated list of ~30 CI/CD, cloud, wallet, and registry secret environment variables (including AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY, CI_JOB_TOKEN, NPM_TOKEN, GITLAB_ACCESS_TOKEN, DOCKER_PASSWORD, PRIVATE_KEY, MNEMONIC), scans multiple.env file paths for lines matching KEY/SECRET/TOKEN/PASS/PRIVATE/MNEMONIC, collects host identifiers (hostname, OS, arch, username, cwd) and directory listings of /builds/, /home/gitlab-runner/builds/, /tmp/, and /var/lib/gitlab-runner/, and HTTPS-POSTs the aggregated payload with rejectUnauthorized:false to two hardcoded exfiltration endpoints: https://webhook.site/d6d18927-e513-4df7-b019-58bfc64fe0dd and https://enqoojbegdvxj.x.pipedream.net. The recon.js header comment self-labels the file as 'CryptoDAO Dependency Confusion Reconnaissance Payload'.

## What should I do about MAL-2026-10600?

Remove the package from your dependencies and lockfiles, then rotate any secrets on machines where it was installed.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
MAL-2026-10600 is a malicious package: @public-for-cdao/api (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-2026-10600/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/MAL-2026-10600/index.md)
```

## Sources

- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/MAL-2026-10600

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/MAL-2026-10600/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.