MalwarePublished 26 Jun 2026Updated 10 Jul 2026

chai-as-assured (npm) · Malicious Code

Affects chai-as-assuredSource GCVE Database

Malicious package : remove chai-as-assured and rotate any secrets on hosts that installed it.

Data as of 12 Jul 2026, 09:18 UTC

Classification

Malicious package

Published to npm · OSV MAL-2026-6532

What to do

Remove chai-as-assured 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
npmchai-as-assured	Affected =7.1.2	Fixed in–

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Description

--- _-= Per source details. Do not edit below this line.=-_ ## Source: amazon-inspector (bd28efd7a3d07f87ec22556cc25a8c07117fa4cdd237c6cb1db750c976a11836) chai-as-assured impersonates the popular chai-as-promised package (matching README, author, and API surface). When the exported plugin function is invoked under normal usage, an async IIFE in the plugin body base64-decodes a hardcoded URL (https://amethyst-lorrin-26.tiiny.site/index.json), performs an axios.get against that anonymous third-party host with a disguised header, and executes the response's `cookie` field as JavaScript via `new Function.constructor('require', response)(require)`. The fetched payload runs with full Node module privileges (filesystem, network, child_process, etc.) because `require` is passed in. The C2 URL, header name (`x-secret-key`), and header value are concealed as base64 strings inside a fake local `process.env` object (DEV_API_KEY / DEV_SECRET_KEY / DEV_SECRET_VALUE) that shadows Node's global to evade casual source review. The combination of name-confusion against a top-100 chai ecosystem package, deliberate obfuscation of attacker infrastructure, an unpinned anonymous tiiny.site host, and dynamic execution of the fetched response with `require` is an unambiguous remote-code-execution dropper targeting any project that installs and loads this plugin. ## Source: ghsa-malware (c485746666d65194fcec1929637bee2ef3f7f7c1a427a5e28eaf2ce162ea8c19) 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

Systems that install or run chai-as-assured version 7.1.2 are fully compromised due to remote code execution capabilities granted to the attacker. This allows arbitrary code execution with full Node.js privileges, including filesystem and network access. All secrets, keys, and sensitive data on the compromised system may be exposed or stolen. The malicious code dynamically fetches and executes attacker-controlled payloads, enabling persistent and flexible control over the affected environment.

Defensive guidance

The affected package version 7.1.2 should be immediately removed from all systems. All secrets and keys stored on compromised systems must be rotated from a separate, trusted environment. Due to the full system compromise risk, assume that removing the package alone may not fully remediate the system; a full incident response and system rebuild may be necessary.

Summary

chai-as-assured is a malicious npm package that mimics the legitimate chai-as-promised package by copying its README, author, and API surface. Upon invocation, it asynchronously fetches a payload from a disguised third-party URL (hosted on tiiny.site) using axios with obfuscated headers. The fetched payload is executed dynamically using new Function.constructor with the Node.js require function passed in, granting the payload full access to the filesystem, network, and process control. The attacker infrastructure details are concealed via base64 encoding and a fake local process.env object to evade detection. This results in a remote code execution dropper that compromises any project loading this plugin. The only affected version explicitly stated is 7.1.2. The package should be considered fully compromising any host where it is installed or executed.

References

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What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 11 Jul 2026, 12:36 UTC

Technical details

References

Community reviews