MAL-2026-4650 Malicious code in pubnub-moderation-tool (npm)

Malicious package Published
Package
pubnub-moderation-tool
Registry
npm

What is MAL-2026-4650?

MAL-2026-4650 is a malicious package in pubnub-moderation-tool, published on 21 May 2026.

Official description

package.json declares "preinstall": "node index.js", causing index.js to run automatically on npm install. The script collects os.hostname(), os.userInfo(), home directory, DNS server list, package metadata, and the contents of /etc/passwd and /etc/hosts, then HTTPS-POSTs the resulting JSON to vdcz3c5tmurvu7cqdfk9s524wv2nqee3.oastify.com — a Burp Collaborator subdomain used as an out-of-band exfiltration sink. The package contains no functionality matching its declared name; metadata fields (author, description) are empty and the package name impersonates PubNub branding, consistent with dependency-confusion / typosquat bait. Installing this package leaks installer host identity and local system files to an attacker on every install.

What should I do about MAL-2026-4650?

Remove the package from your dependencies and lockfiles, then rotate any secrets on machines where it was installed.

Sources

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