MalwarePublished 10 Jul 2026

notify-theme (npm) · Malicious Code

Affects notify-themeSource GCVE Database

Malicious package : remove notify-theme 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-2026-10157

What to do

Remove notify-theme 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
npmnotify-theme	Affected =1.3.5 =1.3.6 =1.3.7	Fixed in–

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Description

--- _-= Per source details. Do not edit below this line.=-_ ## Source: amazon-inspector (d9cbb2ac45124e3844e29f3efd70ca26f0089ec4eaad718bcbdaf3035ec9b34b) The package impersonates the pino logger API (exports `module.exports.pino = middleware`, ships pino-style files such as lib/proto.js, lib/multistream.js, lib/transport.js, and declares logger-oriented keywords) while its actual behavior is a remote-code dropper. When a consumer imports and invokes the exported middleware, index.js spawns a detached Node child running lib/caller.js, which HTTP-GETs https://jsonkeeper.com/b/K80JD and passes the response body to `new Function.constructor('require', s)`, then invokes it with the host process's `require` — granting the remote endpoint arbitrary code execution inside the installer's Node process with full module access. lib/caller.js disguises the destination by shadowing `process` with a local object whose `env` fields (API_KEY, SECRET_KEY, SECRET_VALUE) actually hold the C2 URL and header pair. lib/const.js contains a base64-encoded backup endpoint that decodes to https://jsonkeeper.com/b/ZK45J. jsonkeeper.com is an anonymous, author-mutable paste host, so the executed payload can change at any time without a package update. The pino-API impersonation on an unrelated package name (`notify-theme`) is a lure so that developers looking for a logger trigger the dropper.

Impact

This vulnerability allows an attacker to execute arbitrary code remotely within the Node.js process that imports the malicious 'notify-theme' package. This can lead to full compromise of the host environment, including access to all modules and potentially sensitive data or system control. The dynamic nature of the payload, fetched from an anonymous mutable paste host, means the attacker can change the malicious code at any time, increasing the risk and making detection and mitigation more difficult.

Defensive guidance

The best mitigation is to avoid using the 'notify-theme' package versions 1.3.5, 1.3.6, and 1.3.7 entirely. Developers should verify the authenticity of packages before installation, prefer well-known and trusted logging libraries, and audit dependencies for suspicious behavior. Since this is a malicious package impersonating a legitimate API, removing it from projects and replacing it with a verified logger package is recommended. Monitor for any unexpected child processes or network requests initiated by Node.js applications.

Summary

The 'notify-theme' npm package (versions 1.3.5 to 1.3.7) masquerades as the pino logger by exporting similarly named modules and files. However, its actual behavior is malicious: upon invocation, it spawns a detached Node.js child process that performs an HTTP GET request to a remote anonymous paste service (jsonkeeper.com) to retrieve JavaScript code. This code is then executed in the context of the host process using the Function constructor and the host's require function, granting the attacker arbitrary code execution capabilities with full module access. The package hides the command and control (C2) URL and headers inside environment-like variables within a local object to evade detection. The use of an anonymous, mutable paste host allows the attacker to change the payload at will without updating the package, increasing the threat's stealth and persistence.

References

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What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 11 Jul 2026, 09:58 UTC

Technical details

References

Community reviews