# MAL-2026-17788: Malicious code in gas-refuel-bridge (RubyGems)


- **Type:** Malicious package
- **Package:** `gas-refuel-bridge` (RubyGems)
- **Published:** 11 Oct 2026

## What is MAL-2026-17788?

MAL-2026-17788 is a malicious package in gas-refuel-bridge, published on 11 Oct 2026. 

### Official description

The gem's native extension build script extconf.rb base64-decodes an embedded Ruby payload and eval's it during `gem install`. The payload double-forks a detached background process that sleeps for 20-40 minutes and then opens a TCP socket to 45.138.12.177:8089, piping it to /bin/sh in a reconnect loop — a persistent reverse shell on the installer's host. Execution is gated by anti-analysis checks: it skips when common CI environment variables are present, when the hostname looks ephemeral or the username looks auto-generated, when the working directory is under /tmp, /opt/rubygems, or /workspace, when system uptime is under 1800 seconds, and only proceeds when developer-identity markers are present on disk (~/.ssh, ~/.gitconfig, ~/.npmrc, ~/.gem/credentials, ~/.bundle). The gem's advertised identity is a cover story: the gemspec summary describes 'gas refuel bridge helpers', the README is titled 'bitcoin-rpc-lite', and lib/gas_refuel_bridge.rb contains only inert stubs (VERSION, build_id returning 'ok', healthy? returning true). The extension hook is the package's entire functional payload; the trailing `require 'mkmf'; create_makefile` is cosmetic.

The OpenSSF Package Analysis project identified 'gas-refuel-bridge' @ 0.9.1 (rubygems) as malicious.

It is considered malicious because:

- The package executes one or more commands associated with malicious behavior.

## What should I do about MAL-2026-17788?

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-2026-17788 is a malicious package: gas-refuel-bridge (RubyGems). 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-2026-17788/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/MAL-2026-17788/index.md)
```

## Sources

- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/MAL-2026-17788

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/MAL-2026-17788/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.