MAL-2026-13478 Malicious code in @cats-cdf/authentication (npm)
Malicious package
Published
MAL-2026-13478 is a malicious package: @cats-cdf/authentication (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-2026-13478/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/MAL-2026-13478/index.md)
- Package
- @cats-cdf/authentication
- Registry
- npm
What is MAL-2026-13478?
MAL-2026-13478 is a malicious package in @cats-cdf/authentication, published on 6 Aug 2026.
Official description
The package's preinstall lifecycle script runs on npm install and collects the installer's local username (whoami), hostname, and public IP address (fetched via ifconfig.me), then transmits them as query-string parameters in an HTTP GET request to a hardcoded subdomain of oast.fun (kwphewvexhjbtfduscqybx6q7c862eh0g.oast.fun). oast.fun is an out-of-band interaction/callback service commonly used for reconnaissance and exfiltration in dependency-confusion attacks. The behavior fires automatically on default install with no relation to any documented package purpose.
What should I do about MAL-2026-13478?
Remove the package from your dependencies and lockfiles, then rotate any secrets on machines where it was installed.