# MAL-2026-17777: Malicious code in react-paginate-v5 (npm)


- **Type:** Malicious package
- **Package:** `react-paginate-v5` (npm)
- **Published:** 11 Oct 2026

## What is MAL-2026-17777?

MAL-2026-17777 is a malicious package in react-paginate-v5, published on 11 Oct 2026. 

### Official description

react-paginate-v5@99.0.0 is a dependency-confusion probe published under a name resembling the popular react-paginate package and pinned to an implausibly high version (99.0.0) to win resolution against an internal package. Its package.json declares a preinstall lifecycle script that runs `nslookup dep-confusion-poc.2chsn9exkdupkr3cxed7vp7sk.canarytokens.com`, which fires automatically on `npm install` and emits a DNS query from the installer's resolver to an attacker/researcher-controlled canary subdomain. The subdomain label (`dep-confusion-poc`) self-identifies the operation as a dependency-confusion test. The DNS lookup confirms successful installation to the operator of the canary token, identifying hosts and networks where an internal package name was shadowed by this public squat. While the beacon itself only exfiltrates the fact of installation plus resolver metadata, the same install-time execution primitive can carry any shell command, and the package has no legitimate functionality.

## What should I do about MAL-2026-17777?

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-2026-17777 is a malicious package: react-paginate-v5 (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-2026-17777/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/MAL-2026-17777/index.md)
```

## Sources

- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/MAL-2026-17777

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/MAL-2026-17777/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.