chai-as-byte (npm) · Malicious Code
Affects chai-as-byteSource GCVE Database
Malicious package : remove chai-as-byte and rotate any secrets on hosts that installed it.
Data as of 15 Jul 2026, 12:58 UTC
Malicious package
Published to npm · OSV MAL-2026-10630
What to do
Remove chai-as-byte 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-byte | Affected
| Fixed in– |
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Description
The npm package chai-as-byte versions 3.1.5 and 3.1.6 contains malicious code that, upon requiring the package, silently spawns a child process which exfiltrates the entire process environment variables to a remote server. The remote server then sends back code that is executed with full module access, enabling arbitrary code execution on the host. This exfiltration can leak sensitive information such as CI secrets, cloud tokens, and API keys. The package masquerades as part of the chai-as-* family but does not implement any legitimate functionality, instead performing this malicious activity without exposing any API.