chalk-lib

{"modified":"2026-08-18T23:59:21Z","published":"2026-08-18T23:59:21Z","schema_version":"1.7.4","id":"MAL-2026-14167","summary":"Malicious code in chalk-lib (npm)","details":"\n---\n_-= Per source details. Do not edit below this line.=-_\n\n## Source: amazon-inspector (57cc6705c0b1dabca055a6531e36802822a4441a367459efb4ba8ecbc4a92ce5)\nchalk-lib is a typosquat of the popular chalk package with an empty library body (index.js exports {}) whose entire effect is the postinstall lifecycle script. On npm install, scripts/postinstall.js XOR-decodes (key 'stf2026') a hardcoded URL pointing at github.com/bebraz1/qPzM50V1AKG0rVlH/releases/download/null/main.exe, downloads the executable to %TEMP%/main.exe on Windows, and spawns it detached with stdio:'ignore' and windowsHide:true. When the environment is WSL or Linux with the Windows host reachable (WSL_DISTRO_NAME / /proc/version / /proc/sys/kernel/osrelease containing 'microsoft'), a second code path XOR-decodes a PowerShell bridge command and script and exec()s it to fetch and run the same binary on the Windows host, extending the attack across the WSL boundary. In parallel, postinstall POSTs a JSON body containing the installer's platform label to a hardcoded bare-IP endpoint at 193.70.34.101:20099/vote over plain HTTP; the IP is assembled by joining the octet array ['193','70','34','101'] to evade static string matching. URLs, the PowerShell command, and the bridge script are all stored as integer arrays and reconstructed via an XOR unpackSegment() routine.\n","affected":[{"package":{"ecosystem":"npm","name":"chalk-lib"},"versions":["1.0.0"],"database_specific":{"cwes":[{"cweId":"CWE-506","description":"The product contains code that appears to be malicious in nature.","name":"Embedded Malicious Code"}],"indicators":{"evidence_files":[{"path":"scripts/postinstall.js","sha256":"3f7facba4826f2ffd86e5def3d859bd3ee68de640e3ec9ba2598a057d222ba30","tlsh":"6ed13fca1ef59035874bf96884cf9d13b2a6c207320e4a65ff8f42107f5793c85a69e9"}],"package_integrity":[{"filename":"chalk-lib-1.0.0.tgz","hashes":{"sha1":"01bc9a11957ce6141262c7fe6775b2ab8fa80142","sha512_sri":"sha512-OYfoExjR2EWo18WWf6jFvA9lqR2LyP5sXyBPPfCPgAyV8lL5S1MenRulxCTwflel81c+YPjsINf9YJmzPGtMow=="}}]}}}],"references":[{"type":"PACKAGE","url":"https://www.npmjs.com/package/chalk-lib/v/1.0.0"}],"credits":[{"name":"Amazon Inspector","type":"FINDER","contact":["inspector-research@amazon.com"]}],"database_specific":{"malicious-packages-origins":[{"id":"IN-MAL-2026-018251","import_time":"2026-08-19T00:21:13.200552093Z","modified_time":"2026-08-18T23:59:21Z","sha256":"57cc6705c0b1dabca055a6531e36802822a4441a367459efb4ba8ecbc4a92ce5","source":"amazon-inspector","versions":["1.0.0"]}]}}