{"answers":{"affected":"1 open source package ship an affected version, including req-throttle-mini.","exploited":"There is no known exploitation of MAL-2026-17568 in the wild and no public exploit code.","fix":"Remove the package from your dependencies and lockfiles, then rotate any secrets on machines where it was installed.","what":"MAL-2026-17568 is a malicious package in req-throttle-mini, published on 5 Oct 2026."},"fix_prompt":"MAL-2026-17568 is a malicious package: req-throttle-mini (RubyGems). Every version was published to cause harm.\n\nTask:\n1. Search this repository's dependency manifests and lockfiles for the package, including transitive dependencies.\n2. If it is present, remove it, regenerate the lockfile with the project's package manager, and replace whatever it was used for.\n3. List any CI runners, developer machines or containers that installed it, so their secrets can be rotated.\n4. If the package is not used anywhere, say so and change nothing.\n\nReference: https://insights.sbomify.com/MAL-2026-17568/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/MAL-2026-17568/index.md)","id":"MAL-2026-17568","markdown":"https://insights.sbomify.com/MAL-2026-17568/index.md","name":"MAL-2026-17568","record":{"aliases":[],"analysis":null,"analysis_generated_by":null,"assigner":null,"cpe":[],"cvss":{"score":null,"severity":null,"source":null,"vector":null,"version":null},"cwes":[],"description":"RubyGems runs this gem's native extension script `ext/req_throttle_mini/extconf.rb` during `gem install`. The script exits without action on CI runners and sandboxes, based on CI environment variables, the hostname, the username and the working directory. It continues if the system uptime is over 30 minutes and the home directory holds `.ssh`, `.gitconfig`, `.npmrc`, `.gem/credentials` or `.bundle`. It then decodes a Base64 Ruby payload, forks twice into a detached process, waits 20 to 40 minutes and opens a reverse shell that connects `/bin/sh` to 45.138.12.177 on TCP port 8089. The shell reconnects every 30 seconds. The Ruby code in `lib/` is a decoy. The RubyGems account `reqthrottle_3474` published this gem and 41 others with the same loader on 2026-10-05.\n\nThe gem's native-extension script extconf.rb base64-decodes an embedded Ruby payload, writes it to a randomized file under the system temp directory, and spawns a detached `ruby` process on it before invoking mkmf's `create_makefile`. The decoded payload opens a TCP connection to the hardcoded bare IP 45.138.12.177 on port 8089 and bridges the socket bidirectionally to `/bin/sh`, giving the remote endpoint interactive command execution on the installing host. The payload loops with a 30-second sleep to re-dial on disconnect, providing persistent reconnection. The C2 destination is concealed as a base64 literal rather than appearing in plaintext, and the behavior is unrelated to any native build step.","ecosystems":["RubyGems"],"exploits":{"exploitdb":null,"first_seen":null,"github_poc":null,"max_poc_stars":null,"metasploit":null,"nuclei":null,"refs":[],"tier":null},"has_fix":false,"headline":"Malicious code in req-throttle-mini (RubyGems)","id":"MAL-2026-17568","indexable":true,"kev":null,"kind":"malicious","links":{"ecosystem":"RubyGems","product":null,"products":[],"type":null,"year":"2026"},"n_packages":1,"n_references":null,"packages":[{"ecosystem":"RubyGems","fixed":[],"introduced":["0"],"last_affected":[],"package":"req-throttle-mini","purl":"pkg:gem/req-throttle-mini","source":"MAL-2026-17568"}],"products":null,"published":"2026-10-05","related":[],"sources":[{"class":"attribution","licence":"Apache-2.0","name":"OpenSSF Malicious Packages","prefix":"MAL"}],"ssvc":{"automatable":null,"exploitation":null,"technical_impact":null},"state":null,"updated":null,"vendors":null},"summary":null,"url":"https://insights.sbomify.com/MAL-2026-17568/"}