MAL-2026-14261 Malicious code in postcss-initialize-provider (npm)
Malicious package
Published
MAL-2026-14261 is a malicious package: postcss-initialize-provider (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-2026-14261/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/MAL-2026-14261/index.md)
- Package
- postcss-initialize-provider
- Registry
- npm
What is MAL-2026-14261?
MAL-2026-14261 is a malicious package in postcss-initialize-provider, published on 19 Aug 2026.
Official description
[email protected] presents itself as a PostCSS plugin (README, badges, and repository links reference the legitimate maximkoretskiy/postcss-initial project), but index.js contains a heavily obfuscated payload (obfuscator.io-style 244-entry string array with rotation and _0x-prefixed identifiers) appended to the plugin code. Decoded strings show the payload captures require and module onto the global object (global['r']=require, global['m']=module), imports http/https/zlib/child_process, and queries Ethereum RPC and block-explorer endpoints (drpc.org, blockscout.com/api, stapi.io, with eth_getBlockByNumber / eth_getTransactionCount / module=account&action=txlist calls) to retrieve attacker-controlled data staged on-chain, then executes it via child_process.spawn and the captured require handle. A CSS transformation plugin has no legitimate need for child_process, Ethereum RPC access, or global capture of require/module. The package name typosquats postcss-initial and reuses that project's presentation to distribute the loader.
What should I do about MAL-2026-14261?
Remove the package from your dependencies and lockfiles, then rotate any secrets on machines where it was installed.