# MAL-2026-14427: Malicious code in chai-as-mno (npm)


- **Type:** Malicious package
- **Package:** `chai-as-mno` (npm)
- **Published:** 24 Aug 2026

## What is MAL-2026-14427?

MAL-2026-14427 is a malicious package in chai-as-mno, published on 24 Aug 2026. 

### Official description

The package name mimics `chai-as-promised` and its README, badges, and license text are copied from an unrelated project (`pino`), while the package.json description is unrelated boilerplate. The declared main `index.js` exports a trivial no-op Express middleware `(_req,_res,next)=>next()` and unconditionally executes `require('./lib/config')` at import time. `lib/config.js` is a ~4MB single-line file heavily obfuscated with an obfuscator.io string-array scheme (string array `d` of length 23971 with rotation, hex-named identifiers, nested decoder functions `j`/`T`, control-flow flattening, and ~40,000 inline-decoded strings). The visible surface API provides no legitimate reason to ship a multi-megabyte opaque blob as a `config` module, and merely requiring the package runs that payload in the installer's Node process. The combination of impersonation cover story, mismatched README/description, no-op public API, and an obfuscator.io-grade payload executed on `require` is the loader/dropper shape.

## What should I do about MAL-2026-14427?

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-2026-14427 is a malicious package: chai-as-mno (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-2026-14427/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/MAL-2026-14427/index.md)
```

## Sources

- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/MAL-2026-14427

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/MAL-2026-14427/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.