Malicious Package in maleficent

Exploitation

No confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next marks exploitation only from CISA KEV.

CVSS

9.8 · CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

EPSS

No dated EPSS signal available.

As published by the source; long descriptions are shortened.

All versions of maleficent contain malicious code. The package is a demonstration of possible risks when installing npm packages. It gathers system information such as: environment variables, OS information, network interface, AWS credentials, npm credentials and ssh keys. The package prints the information to a local file but does not upload it to a remote server. Recommendation Remove the package from your environment. There is no further compromise.

Published by the source

3 Sep 2020, 02:37 UTC

Last modified by the source

9 Jan 2023, 05:04 UTC

Source last checked

26 Oct 2026, 12:09 UTC

1. Revision 2 · amended · 26 Oct 2026

   Amended from ghsa record GHSA-cr5w-6rv4-r2qg

2. Revision 1 · created · 24 Oct 2026

   Published from osv record GHSA-cr5w-6rv4-r2qg

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# Patch Next advisory brief: GHSA-cr5w-6rv4-r2qg

Advisory: Malicious Package in maleficent
IDs: GHSA-cr5w-6rv4-r2qg
Record: https://patchnext.com/advisories/ghsa-cr5w-6rv4-r2qg (revision 2, source checked 26 Oct 2026, 12:09 UTC)
Inventory: none attached. This brief comes from a public page and does not say whether any deployment is affected.
Severity: Critical (CVSS 9.8)
Exploitation: no confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next confirms exploitation only from CISA KEV.
Vendor response: Vendor response not established. A vendor fix does not mean a deployment is fixed.

## Affected components
- npm maleficent: affected every version

## Suggested inspection (read-only)
- `npm ls maleficent --all`: lists every installed copy and version, including transitive ones. Run in the project root after `npm ci`.

## Supported action
No complete vendor fix is recorded. Follow the primary source's mitigation guidance and check this record again before closing anything.

## Required regression checks
- Run the test suite and a production build.
- Exercise the features that depend on maleficent.
- Repeat the inspection and confirm that only fixed versions remain installed.

## Rollback considerations
- Keep the previous lockfile and deployment artifact. Rolling back reinstates the vulnerable version, so apply any documented mitigation while you fix forward.

## Unresolved questions
- Which deployments run an affected version?
- Exploitation status can change. Check again before lowering the priority.
- Mark the work resolved only after the fixed version is verified in production.

## Sources
- Verified: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/GHSA-cr5w-6rv4-r2qg (OSV record GHSA-cr5w-6rv4-r2qg lists affected ranges: npm maleficent >=0)
- Verified: https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-cr5w-6rv4-r2qg (GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-cr5w-6rv4-r2qg lists affected ranges: npm maleficent >=0)

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