MalwarePublished 1 Jul 2026Updated 20 Jul 2026

date-fns-lite (npm) · Malicious Code

Affects date-fns-liteSource GCVE Database

Malicious package : remove date-fns-lite and rotate any secrets on hosts that installed it.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 15:56 UTC

Classification

Malicious package

Published to npm · OSV MAL-2026-6722

What to do

Remove date-fns-lite 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
npmdate-fns-lite	Affected 1.0.0 – 1.0.12 13 affected builds	Fixed in–

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Description

The npm package 'date-fns-lite' versions 1.0.0 through 1.0.12 is a malicious package that masquerades as a lightweight date-formatting utility. It contains a postinstall script that executes automatically upon installation, harvesting sensitive credentials and configuration files from the host, including AWS, GCP, and Azure credentials, SSH keys, kubeconfig, /etc/shadow, and shell history. It also performs reconnaissance by querying cloud metadata services, enumerating Docker containers, and scanning the internal network. The collected data is sent to a hardcoded external IP address over unencrypted HTTP. This package poses a significant risk especially when installed in CI environments or containers with host filesystem mounts.

Impact

Installation of any affected version of 'date-fns-lite' leads to disclosure of sensitive credentials and system information to an attacker-controlled server. This includes cloud provider credentials that could allow unauthorized access to cloud resources, SSH keys enabling lateral movement, and internal network topology that facilitates further attacks. The compromise can lead to full cloud environment takeover, data exfiltration, and persistent access. The malicious behavior activates automatically on installation, requiring no additional user interaction.

Defensive guidance

Users and organizations should avoid installing this package entirely. Verify dependencies carefully to ensure 'date-fns-lite' is not included transitively. Remove any instances of this package from existing environments. Monitor for suspicious network traffic to the indicated IP address. Since this is a malicious package, remediation involves removing the package and rotating any potentially compromised credentials.

Summary

The 'date-fns-lite' npm package (versions 1.0.0 to 1.0.12) contains a malicious postinstall.js script that runs automatically during npm install. This script steals installer-side secrets such as cloud provider credentials (AWS, GCP, Azure), SSH private keys, kubeconfig, and sensitive system files like /etc/shadow and shell history by traversing the host filesystem via /proc/1/root from inside containers. It also queries cloud metadata endpoints for instance IAM credentials, probes the Docker socket to enumerate containers, and performs internal network reconnaissance including default gateway detection, ping sweeps, and port scanning on common service ports. The aggregated data is exfiltrated via an HTTP POST request to a hardcoded IP address (http://115.190.124.243:9082/callback). The package name mimics the legitimate 'date-fns' library to deceive users. The index.js file contains a plausible date formatter as a cover for the malicious payload.

References

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What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 7 Jul 2026, 00:57 UTC

Technical details

References

Community reviews