# MAL-2026-5980: Malicious code in gpu-accelerator (npm)


- **Type:** Malicious package
- **Package:** `gpu-accelerator` (npm)
- **Published:** 17 Jun 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-qc67-wjjh-qpcv

## What is MAL-2026-5980?

MAL-2026-5980 is a malicious package in gpu-accelerator, published on 17 Jun 2026. 

### Official description

The package advertises itself as a PostCSS plugin for CSS hardware-acceleration hints, but its only legitimate behavior is a 3-line walkDecls that adds `will-change: transform`. When the plugin factory in lib/index.js is invoked (which happens automatically when a developer wires the plugin into their PostCSS pipeline), it reads assets/driver-shim.bin (a 55,928-byte comma-separated integer list), XOR-decodes every byte with 0xA5 to recover ~56 KB of JavaScript source, and executes that source via `vm.Script(...).runInContext(...)` with `require`, `process`, `console`, and `Buffer` exposed in the context — granting the decoded code full Node privileges including filesystem and network access. Decoding confirms the bytes are JavaScript source (recurring `function` and `require` tokens, quoted module names). Before decoding, lib/index.js:18-21 checks `process.env.CI || process.env.CONTINUOUS_INTEGRATION` and `!process.stdout.isTTY` and returns early in those cases — a deliberate sandbox-evasion gate that keeps the payload dormant on CI runners and automated scanners while firing on interactive developer workstations. The combination of (a) a cover-story package whose advertised purpose is unrelated to its actual code, (b) an XOR-obfuscated executable blob shipped as a.bin asset, (c) vm.Script execution of that blob with full Node capabilities, and (d) a CI/headless evasion gate is the canonical supply-chain attack fingerprint.

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-2026-5980?

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-2026-5980 is a malicious package: gpu-accelerator (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-2026-5980/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/MAL-2026-5980/index.md)
```

## Sources

- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/MAL-2026-5980

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/MAL-2026-5980/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.