publish-poc-test3 (npm) · Malicious Code
Affects publish-poc-test3Source GCVE Database
Malicious package : remove publish-poc-test3 and rotate any secrets on hosts that installed it.
Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 15:55 UTC
Malicious package
Published to npm · OSV MAL-2026-18324
What to do
Remove publish-poc-test3 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 |
|---|---|---|
| npmpublish-poc-test3 | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.
Description
--- _-= Per source details. Do not edit below this line.=-_ ## Source: amazon-inspector (4001a75b24abfa181a10e5d40931194f254304fcf5fda554488d3c242cc5db85) The package's postinstall lifecycle script creates a temporary directory, writes a fabricated package.json whose name is 'publish-poc-found-<random-hex>' (random suffix derived via 'openssl rand -hex 2'), and then invokes 'npm publish' from that directory. The literal string 'npm publish' is reconstructed at runtime by concatenating three fragments ('np', 'm pu', 'blish') through printf, specifically to prevent manifest and string scanners from matching the command. The publish runs against the public npm registry using whatever npm authentication context the installing environment currently has (an _authToken from ~/.npmrc, NPM_TOKEN / NODE_AUTH_TOKEN in the environment, or an active CI publish identity), so running 'npm install' of this package on a developer workstation or CI host that holds publish rights causes a new attacker-named package to be published under the installer's npm identity. The combination of credential abuse at install time, randomized attacker-chosen package naming, and deliberate obfuscation of the exact command performing the publish is characteristic registry self-propagation / worm behavior.
References
- npmjs.com/package/publish-poc-test3/v/1.0.15 (opens in a new tab)
- npmjs.com/package/publish-poc-test3/v/1.0.27 (opens in a new tab)
- npmjs.com/package/publish-poc-test3/v/1.0.18 (opens in a new tab)
- npmjs.com/package/publish-poc-test3/v/1.0.22 (opens in a new tab)
- npmjs.com/package/publish-poc-test3/v/1.0.19 (opens in a new tab)
- npmjs.com/package/publish-poc-test3/v/1.0.26 (opens in a new tab)
- npmjs.com/package/publish-poc-test3/v/1.0.21 (opens in a new tab)