# MAL-2026-4720: Malicious code in weavedb-lite (npm)


- **Type:** Malicious package
- **Package:** `weavedb-lite` (npm)
- **Published:** 26 May 2026

## What is MAL-2026-4720?

MAL-2026-4720 is a malicious package in weavedb-lite, published on 26 May 2026. 

### Official description

package.json declares `"preinstall": "./src/deps.ts"`, but `src/deps.ts` is not TypeScript — its first bytes are the ELF magic (`\x7fELF\x02\x01\x01`), identifying it as a ~954 KB Linux x86-64 executable (sha256 36abd242…b436d36). Renaming a native binary with a `.ts` extension is deliberate disguise to evade reviewers and scanners. Running `npm install weavedb-lite` on Linux directly executes this opaque binary on the installer's machine before any other code runs, with no source, no documented purpose, no version pin, and no integrity verification. Extracted strings include HTTP/POST and `https://` indicators consistent with network exfiltration or C2 callback, but the binary's actual behavior cannot be inspected statically. Additionally, the package name `weavedb-lite` mimics the WeaveDB ecosystem and declares `bin` entries (`wao`, `wao-esm`) that collide with the legitimate `wao` package it also depends on, fitting a typosquat/namespace-abuse pattern targeting developers searching for WeaveDB or wao tooling. The preinstall ELF execution alone is sufficient to block; the typosquat shape corroborates intentional impersonation.

This package was compromised as part of the IronWorm campaign. This campaign executes a malicious binary payload during installation via a preinstall hook. The payload is a Rust-built infostealer that targets developer environments, scanning for and harvesting credentials related to cloud providers, object storage, databases, source-control, package registries, and AI developer tools. It also targets cryptocurrency wallets, specifically injecting a malicious JavaScript hook into the Exodus desktop wallet to capture passwords and recovery phrases. Furthermore, the malware exhibits worm-like behavior by stealing GitHub and NPM credentials to push malicious updates to the victim's repositories and publish trojanized packages, and it uses an eBPF-based kernel rootkit to hide its processes and network connections on Linux systems.

## What should I do about MAL-2026-4720?

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-2026-4720 is a malicious package: weavedb-lite (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-2026-4720/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/MAL-2026-4720/index.md)
```

## Sources

- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/MAL-2026-4720

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/MAL-2026-4720/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.