MAL-2026-15514 Malicious code in mintel-taskbar (npm)
- Package
- mintel-taskbar
- Registry
- npm
What is MAL-2026-15514?
MAL-2026-15514 is a malicious package in mintel-taskbar, published on 28 Aug 2026.
Official description
package.json line 11 declares the package's own name 'mintel-taskbar' as a dependency whose source is the bare HTTPS URL https://repo.securityctrl.com/mintel-taskbar, not a registry version range. On npm install, npm resolves this dependency by fetching whatever tarball that URL returns and installs it — running any lifecycle scripts inside the fetched tarball — with no version pin and no integrity check. Whoever controls repo.securityctrl.com therefore controls code executed on every installer's machine. The self-referential shape (dependency key equals the package's own name) combined with an implausibly high version (45.0.0) is consistent with a dependency-confusion lure that resolves against an internal package of the same name.
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-2026-15514?
Remove the package from your dependencies and lockfiles, then rotate any secrets on machines where it was installed.
Sources
Also known as GHSA-x2qj-v4rx-3phv.