MAL-2026-5905
Vulnerability from ossf_malicious_packages
-= Per source details. Do not edit below this line.=-
Source: amazon-inspector (ddf8b1cc2e3c780dc0ac44e7691f14f2031f0aca1e1c207f1c15c0815471358b)
chai-plugin-helper poses as a chai plugin and ships a verbatim copy of chai's public API (index.js, lib/chai.js, expect/should/assert exports, version string '4.3.8', description copied from chai) so it functions as a drop-in replacement. On require('chai-plugin-helper'), index.js line 8 spawns a detached background node process that runs lib/chai/utils/assertion.js: const child = spawn("node", [assertion, JSON.stringify(args)], { detached: true, stdio: "ignore" }). assertion.js is obfuscator.io-encoded with a rotated 31-entry string array decoded via a base64+URI-decode chain and hex-named identifiers (_0x479d3b, _0x4a30, etc.). After deobfuscation, the file performs an HTTP(S) GET to a URL built from the encoded constants and passes the response body into new Function(_0x154837[...],_0x375b9e) invoked with the installer's require — executing attacker-controlled remote code with full Node privileges. The copyright header has been altered to 'Anton Lane' while the rest of chai's source is copied verbatim, so installers see a working assertion library and do not notice the dropper running in the background. Combination of namespace impersonation, drop-in API, obfuscation specifically wrapping the fetch+exec path, and remote-code execution at require-time is unambiguous supply-chain attack.
- CWE-506 - The product contains code that appears to be malicious in nature.
- CWE-506 - The product contains code that appears to be malicious in nature.
- CWE-506 - The product contains code that appears to be malicious in nature.
- CWE-506 - The product contains code that appears to be malicious in nature.
{
"affected": [
{
"database_specific": {
"cwes": [
{
"cweId": "CWE-506",
"description": "The product contains code that appears to be malicious in nature.",
"name": "Embedded Malicious Code"
},
{
"cweId": "CWE-506",
"description": "The product contains code that appears to be malicious in nature.",
"name": "Embedded Malicious Code"
},
{
"cweId": "CWE-506",
"description": "The product contains code that appears to be malicious in nature.",
"name": "Embedded Malicious Code"
},
{
"cweId": "CWE-506",
"description": "The product contains code that appears to be malicious in nature.",
"name": "Embedded Malicious Code"
}
],
"indicators": {
"evidence_files": [
{
"path": "lib/chai/utils/addAssertion.js",
"sha256": "f8cba23b01fb2fd480d15013c87ec8059bb5ff105741bb40e2af046b1e4a0572",
"tlsh": "cb81105193842ac4a69faeff370370f4e06558523e8605eab800bd68fec2728d7c5770"
},
{
"path": "index.js",
"sha256": "636beba9ab6fda122746cf069c0a90e73953c94c883f46c49b35f99123ade1ac",
"tlsh": "4ef0dcfa02c1aa286d31bbf18007442623e3c172f24040a8fafd90d26657b835233cbd"
}
],
"package_integrity": [
{
"filename": "chai-plugin-helper-1.7.5.tgz",
"hashes": {
"sha1": "6c40c7cbbec17cf15a05a4c6d4a87a54b1b037ff",
"sha512_sri": "sha512-1hORJEsAq+/uJNelWGivmO3NoXiqF3FbvLwcJAdVkOzKv22uXjdA/N2QyCm0Y3kzN2lwg5rNFR9nnw1pMhmYGQ=="
}
}
]
}
},
"package": {
"ecosystem": "npm",
"name": "chai-plugin-helper"
},
"versions": [
"1.7.5",
"1.7.3",
"1.7.6",
"1.7.4"
]
}
],
"credits": [
{
"contact": [
"inspector-research@amazon.com"
],
"name": "Amazon Inspector",
"type": "FINDER"
}
],
"database_specific": {
"malicious-packages-origins": [
{
"id": "IN-MAL-2026-006798",
"import_time": "2026-06-16T18:10:20.956906003Z",
"modified_time": "2026-06-16T16:32:27Z",
"sha256": "1fa6d8a2f11a6c11671dc44321aa39d39c989ff466f328a5b04039ad5f1d5bbd",
"source": "amazon-inspector",
"versions": [
"1.7.5"
]
},
{
"id": "IN-MAL-2026-006800",
"import_time": "2026-06-16T18:10:21.035986231Z",
"modified_time": "2026-06-16T16:32:31Z",
"sha256": "3d742faa5ee42e676405c26b997801e84fd9b113d1f6c63d66848460eec6f1f0",
"source": "amazon-inspector",
"versions": [
"1.7.3"
]
},
{
"id": "IN-MAL-2026-006797",
"import_time": "2026-06-16T18:10:20.877917514Z",
"modified_time": "2026-06-16T16:32:26Z",
"sha256": "d0f3dcd179bd9b9cde43861ed9227050facb703cd3205b0aef4673f3c2db6abb",
"source": "amazon-inspector",
"versions": [
"1.7.6"
]
},
{
"id": "IN-MAL-2026-006799",
"import_time": "2026-06-16T18:10:20.996135869Z",
"modified_time": "2026-06-16T16:32:27Z",
"sha256": "ddf8b1cc2e3c780dc0ac44e7691f14f2031f0aca1e1c207f1c15c0815471358b",
"source": "amazon-inspector",
"versions": [
"1.7.4"
]
}
]
},
"details": "\n---\n_-= Per source details. Do not edit below this line.=-_\n\n## Source: amazon-inspector (ddf8b1cc2e3c780dc0ac44e7691f14f2031f0aca1e1c207f1c15c0815471358b)\nchai-plugin-helper poses as a chai plugin and ships a verbatim copy of chai\u0027s public API (index.js, lib/chai.js, expect/should/assert exports, version string \u00274.3.8\u0027, description copied from chai) so it functions as a drop-in replacement. On require(\u0027chai-plugin-helper\u0027), index.js line 8 spawns a detached background `node` process that runs lib/chai/utils/assertion.js: `const child = spawn(\"node\", [assertion, JSON.stringify(args)], { detached: true, stdio: \"ignore\" })`. assertion.js is obfuscator.io-encoded with a rotated 31-entry string array decoded via a base64+URI-decode chain and hex-named identifiers (_0x479d3b, _0x4a30, etc.). After deobfuscation, the file performs an HTTP(S) GET to a URL built from the encoded constants and passes the response body into `new Function(_0x154837[...],_0x375b9e)` invoked with the installer\u0027s `require` \u2014 executing attacker-controlled remote code with full Node privileges. The copyright header has been altered to \u0027Anton Lane\u0027 while the rest of chai\u0027s source is copied verbatim, so installers see a working assertion library and do not notice the dropper running in the background. Combination of namespace impersonation, drop-in API, obfuscation specifically wrapping the fetch+exec path, and remote-code execution at require-time is unambiguous supply-chain attack.\n",
"id": "MAL-2026-5905",
"modified": "2026-06-16T18:12:09Z",
"published": "2026-06-16T16:32:26Z",
"references": [
{
"type": "PACKAGE",
"url": "https://www.npmjs.com/package/chai-plugin-helper/v/1.7.5"
},
{
"type": "PACKAGE",
"url": "https://www.npmjs.com/package/chai-plugin-helper/v/1.7.3"
},
{
"type": "PACKAGE",
"url": "https://www.npmjs.com/package/chai-plugin-helper/v/1.7.6"
},
{
"type": "PACKAGE",
"url": "https://www.npmjs.com/package/chai-plugin-helper/v/1.7.4"
}
],
"schema_version": "1.7.4",
"summary": "Malicious code in chai-plugin-helper (npm)"
}
Sightings
| Author | Source | Type | Date | Other |
|---|
Nomenclature
- Seen: The vulnerability was mentioned, discussed, or observed by the user.
- Confirmed: The vulnerability has been validated from an analyst's perspective.
- Published Proof of Concept: A public proof of concept is available for this vulnerability.
- Exploited: The vulnerability was observed as exploited by the user who reported the sighting.
- Patched: The vulnerability was observed as successfully patched by the user who reported the sighting.
- Not exploited: The vulnerability was not observed as exploited by the user who reported the sighting.
- Not confirmed: The user expressed doubt about the validity of the vulnerability.
- Not patched: The vulnerability was not observed as successfully patched by the user who reported the sighting.