MAL-2026-12500 Malicious code in warp-drive-internal-tooling (npm)
Malicious package
Published
MAL-2026-12500 is a malicious package: warp-drive-internal-tooling (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-2026-12500/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/MAL-2026-12500/index.md)
- Package
- warp-drive-internal-tooling
- Registry
- npm
What is MAL-2026-12500?
MAL-2026-12500 is a malicious package in warp-drive-internal-tooling, published on 5 Aug 2026.
Official description
[email protected] declares a preinstall hook that runs index.js, which on Windows spawns a hidden-window PowerShell process (
powershell -WindowStyle Hidden) that downloads a zip archive from the anonymous file host files.catbox.moe (https://files.catbox.moe/5khq55.zip), extracts it into %TEMP%, and launches Verification_Tool.exe via Start-Process. The remote host is an unauthenticated throwaway file service unrelated to the package's stated purpose, the download is unpinned and unverified (no hash, no signature), and the fetched binary is opaque. Because npm auto-runs preinstall on every npm install, this results in unattended execution of an attacker-controlled Windows executable on the installer's machine, with concealment (hidden PowerShell window, staging under %TEMP% with a benign 'Verification_Tool' filename) consistent with a dropper rather than a legitimate build step.What should I do about MAL-2026-12500?
Remove the package from your dependencies and lockfiles, then rotate any secrets on machines where it was installed.