# MAL-2026-18085: Malicious code in tailwindcss-animate-catalog (npm)


- **Type:** Malicious package
- **Package:** `tailwindcss-animate-catalog` (npm)
- **Published:** 19 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-4mf5-57pc-vj85

## What is MAL-2026-18085?

MAL-2026-18085 is a malicious package in tailwindcss-animate-catalog, published on 19 Oct 2026. 

### Official description

tailwindcss-animate-catalog (2.0.6, 2.0.7) 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 hackson306623 on 2026-09-28. lib/styles/variables.js:5 requires the private scoped package @jasperquinn/postcss-motion-helpers, 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.

Examination of the tailwindcss-animate-catalog@2.0.6 npm package surfaced no evidence of installer-harming behavior. No lifecycle scripts fetching or executing remote content, no credential or environment-variable exfiltration, no hardcoded attacker endpoints, no obfuscated payloads, and no silent-relay or backdoor mechanisms were observed. The package appears to be a Tailwind CSS animation utility with no code paths that would compromise a developer or build system upon installation or import.

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-2026-18085?

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-2026-18085 is a malicious package: tailwindcss-animate-catalog (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-2026-18085/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/MAL-2026-18085/index.md)
```

## Sources

- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/MAL-2026-18085

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/MAL-2026-18085/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.