Malicious code in paychex-pdftron (npm)

Exploitation

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

CVSS

not scored

EPSS

No dated EPSS signal available.

As published by the source; long descriptions are shortened.

--- _-= Per source details. Do not edit below this line.=-_

Source: amazon-inspector (d32ec8b2ca67156d94943a27b9b7c98f1888d530d7a6f947e49b40f52ec054b3) paychex-pdftron@99.9.1 ships an empty stub (module.exports = {}) and declares its sole dependency `ltidisafe` as a bare HTTPS tarball URL (https://ltidi.storage.googleapis.com/depenconf/ltidisafe-4.0.5.tgz) rather than a registry version range. On `npm install`, npm fetches whatever bytes that URL returns and installs the resulting package, executing any lifecycle scripts it contains — with no version pin, no integrity hash, and no signature verification. The package name resembles an internal Paychex scope, the version is an implausibly high `99.9.1` (a dependency-confusion resolution tactic), the URL path segment is `depenconf`, and the host is unrelated to any legitimate Paychex or pdftron domain. The manifest alone is the attack surface: resolving this dependency pulls attacker-controlled code into the installer's build…

Published by the source

25 Oct 2026, 14:42 UTC

Last modified by the source

29 Oct 2026, 14:30 UTC

Source last checked

30 Oct 2026, 06:05 UTC

1. Revision 3 · amended · 30 Oct 2026

   Amended from osv record MAL-2026-18289

2. Revision 2 · amended · 28 Oct 2026

   Amended from osv record MAL-2026-18289

3. Revision 1 · created · 26 Oct 2026

   Published from osv record MAL-2026-18289

Preview the exact text before you copy it. Commands are read-only suggestions; review them before running anything.

# Patch Next advisory brief: GHSA-9mgv-25w8-jwhf

Advisory: Malicious code in paychex-pdftron (npm)
IDs: GHSA-9mgv-25w8-jwhf
Record: https://patchnext.com/advisories/mal-2026-18289 (revision 3, source checked 30 Oct 2026, 06:05 UTC)
Inventory: none attached. This brief comes from a public page and does not say whether any deployment is affected.
Severity: Unrated
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 paychex-pdftron: affected every version

## Suggested inspection (read-only)
- `npm ls paychex-pdftron --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 paychex-pdftron.
- 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/MAL-2026-18289 (OSV record MAL-2026-18289 lists affected ranges: npm paychex-pdftron >=99.9.1 <=99.9.1)
- Verified: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/MAL-2026-18289 (OSV record MAL-2026-18289 lists affected ranges: npm paychex-pdftron >=0)

Commands are suggestions: review each one before running it.