# MAL-2026-18072: Malicious code in animatecss-tailwind-plugin (npm)


- **Type:** Malicious package
- **Package:** `animatecss-tailwind-plugin` (npm)
- **Published:** 19 Oct 2026

## What is MAL-2026-18072?

MAL-2026-18072 is a malicious package in animatecss-tailwind-plugin, published on 19 Oct 2026. 

### Official description

animatecss-tailwind-plugin (2.0.6) is a Tailwind CSS plugin from the fake job interview campaign behind MAL-2026-17665 and MAL-2026-17666: the same Animate.css integration template, README and description, published by hannahgibbs on 2026-09-28. src/motion.js:5 requires the private scoped package @aaron205whitmore/postcss-animate-utils, which is not readable on the public registry and resolves only with the npm token committed in the lure repository's web/.npmrc, so the code it delivers runs when tailwind.config.js loads the plugin and the dev server starts. The published tarball contains no install scripts and no network code; the payload lives in the private dependency, which was not retrieved. Twenty-six such packages under seventeen accounts were published between 2026-07-28 and 2026-10-09.

The package is a Tailwind CSS plugin that exposes Animate.css animations as Tailwind utilities. No lifecycle scripts, install-time network fetches, credential reads, or exfiltration behaviors were observed. No hardcoded attacker-controlled endpoints, obfuscation, or dynamic code execution were present in the shipped files.

## What should I do about MAL-2026-18072?

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-2026-18072 is a malicious package: animatecss-tailwind-plugin (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-2026-18072/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/MAL-2026-18072/index.md)
```

## Sources

- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/MAL-2026-18072

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/MAL-2026-18072/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.