MalwarePublished 9 Jun 2026Updated 20 Jul 2026

via-city-tools-m-particle (npm) · Malicious Code

Affects via-city-tools-m-particleSource GCVE Database

Malicious package : remove via-city-tools-m-particle and rotate any secrets on hosts that installed it.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 15:55 UTC

Classification

Malicious package

Published to npm · OSV MAL-2026-5456

What to do

Remove via-city-tools-m-particle 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
npmvia-city-tools-m-particle	Affected =99.9.1	Fixed in–

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Description

The npm package 'via-city-tools-m-particle' version 99.9.1 is a malicious package that exports no functionality but declares a dependency on an off-registry tarball hosted on a generic Google Cloud Storage bucket. Installing this package causes npm to fetch and install this arbitrary tarball, which may execute lifecycle scripts automatically on the installer's machine. The package metadata is minimal and resembles legitimate tooling to lure victims via dependency confusion. Any system with this package installed should be considered fully compromised, and all secrets and keys on that system should be rotated immediately from a different machine.

Impact

Installing this package results in arbitrary code execution on the installer's machine due to lifecycle scripts in the off-registry tarball dependency. This leads to full system compromise, including potential theft or misuse of secrets and keys stored on the affected computer. The malicious package's design to evade detection and its use of off-registry dependencies heighten the risk of unnoticed infiltration in build environments.

Defensive guidance

The recommended mitigation is to immediately remove the 'via-city-tools-m-particle' package version 99.9.1 from all affected systems. All secrets and keys stored on compromised machines should be rotated immediately from a separate, trusted computer. Due to the potential for full system compromise, additional forensic analysis and remediation may be necessary to ensure complete removal of malicious artifacts.

Summary

The 'via-city-tools-m-particle' npm package version 99.9.1 is a malicious package designed to smuggle an off-registry tarball dependency ('ltidisafe' version 2.7.6) into build environments. This tarball is hosted in a Google Cloud Storage bucket without registry integrity guarantees or publisher binding, allowing arbitrary code execution via lifecycle scripts during installation. The package itself exports an empty object and has hollow metadata, consistent with a dependency confusion attack. The presence of this package on a system indicates full compromise, necessitating immediate secret rotation and package removal, although removal may not fully eradicate the compromise.

References

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What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 29 Jun 2026, 22:16 UTC

Technical details

References

Community reviews