MalwarePublished 10 Jul 2026

auth-next-gen (npm) · Malicious Code

Affects auth-next-genSource GCVE Database

Malicious package : remove auth-next-gen and rotate any secrets on hosts that installed it.

Data as of 13 Jul 2026, 09:19 UTC

Classification

Malicious package

Published to npm · OSV MAL-2026-10180

What to do

Remove auth-next-gen from every project, lockfile and image that pulls it in. Treat any host that installed it as compromised: rotate the credentials, tokens and keys it could read, from a clean machine.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
npmauth-next-gen	Affected =1.6.29 =1.7.11 =1.7.2	Fixed in–

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Description

--- _-= Per source details. Do not edit below this line.=-_ ## Source: amazon-inspector (fe0926f0a2c1f47072efaac014be38bb00c8e9f31f59badf188b1ed74dd5c2ce) On require of auth-next-gen, index.js loads lib/writer.js, which at module top level performs an axios GET against a base64-obfuscated URL (https://www.jsonkeeper.com/b/GS6NQ, with a second hex-encoded URL https://www.jsonkeeper.com/b/HY6M6 staged the same way) and passes the response body to eval(), yielding arbitrary code execution on the installer under attacker control. In parallel, writer.js builds a data object at module top containing the full process.env, os.platform(), os.hostname(), os.userInfo().username, and non-internal MAC addresses, staged alongside the fetched payload for exfiltration. The destination URLs and the axios/get/then identifiers are hidden behind base64 (atob) and a hex-decoding helper. The package.json advertises the module as an SSR auth-sync helper and the code, keywords (logger, stream, json), and image assets (pino-banner.png, pino-logo-hire.png) are lifted from the pino logger project, functioning as a lure that is unrelated to the actual payload in writer.js. jsonkeeper.com is an anonymous pastebin-style host with mutable content — the exec'd bytes can change at any time without a package update. ## Source: ghsa-malware (8f52954814f4b0c9537e621a23b42653a6d1e5ec73344441a0a020031ee9983c) 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.

Impact

Any system with the affected versions of auth-next-gen installed or running is fully compromised, as the package executes arbitrary attacker-controlled code and exfiltrates sensitive system information. All secrets and keys stored on the compromised system should be considered exposed and must be rotated immediately. Removal of the package alone does not guarantee eradication of all malicious artifacts or backdoors introduced by the attacker.

Defensive guidance

Immediate removal of the auth-next-gen package versions 1.6.29, 1.7.2, and 1.7.11 is strongly recommended. All secrets, credentials, and keys on affected systems should be rotated from a separate, trusted environment. Due to the severity and nature of the compromise, affected systems should be treated as fully compromised and undergo thorough incident response and remediation.

Summary

The auth-next-gen npm package versions 1.6.29, 1.7.2, and 1.7.11 include a malicious module (writer.js) that performs an axios GET request to a base64- and hex-obfuscated URL hosted on jsonkeeper.com, an anonymous pastebin service. The response body is passed directly to eval(), enabling arbitrary code execution controlled by the attacker at install or runtime. Concurrently, the module collects extensive system information including environment variables, OS platform, hostname, username, and MAC addresses, which it stages for exfiltration alongside the fetched payload. The package's metadata and assets are designed to appear as a legitimate SSR auth-sync helper, using assets from the pino logger project as a lure. Because the payload is hosted on a mutable external service, the executed code can change dynamically without any package update. This results in a fully compromised system upon installation or execution of the package.

References

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What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 11 Jul 2026, 09:43 UTC

Technical details

References

Community reviews