# MAL-2026-4550: Malicious code in emojifancy-print (npm)


- **Type:** Malicious package
- **Package:** `emojifancy-print` (npm)
- **Published:** 25 May 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-46c9-x7v7-2g5h

## What is MAL-2026-4550?

MAL-2026-4550 is a malicious package in emojifancy-print, published on 25 May 2026. 

### Official description

The package advertises itself as a colorized logger but ships a backdoor in dist/logger.js that fires automatically when the module is loaded. At require time, dist/index.js triggers logger.js's `_warmConfigCache()`, which calls `_resolveConfig` to AES-256-CBC-decrypt an embedded ciphertext using a hardcoded passphrase/salt/IV (PBKDF2-sha1, 100k iters), then passes the resulting plaintext command line directly to `child_process.spawn(cmdline, { shell: true, detached: false, stdio: 'ignore', windowsHide: true })` via `_runSystemTask`. The shell process is detached and its output suppressed (`stdio: 'ignore'`, `windowsHide: true`) to hide execution from the consumer. The rest of logger.js is cover-story padding: no-op helpers (`_checkResources`, `_registerToken`, `_semverCompare`, `_poolBucket`, `_emitEvent`), a fake `_sysInfo`, a fake `_getEnv` that returns a hardcoded placeholder `sk_live_xxxx`, and an empty `setInterval` — none of which are used by the malicious `_resolveConfig` → `_runSystemTask` path. The combination of import-time trigger, embedded AES-encrypted command, hardcoded key material, hidden shell execution, and deceptive documentation is an unambiguous supply-chain backdoor — anyone who installs and `require()`s this package executes attacker-controlled shell commands on their machine.

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-2026-4550?

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-2026-4550 is a malicious package: emojifancy-print (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-2026-4550/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/MAL-2026-4550/index.md)
```

## Sources

- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/MAL-2026-4550

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/MAL-2026-4550/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.