--- canonical: "https://firewall.lpm.dev/npm/@a11ign/screenreader-worker/v/0.13.8" markdown: "https://firewall.lpm.dev/npm/@a11ign/screenreader-worker/v/0.13.8.md" package: "@a11ign/screenreader-worker" report_status: "published" title: "@a11ign/screenreader-worker@0.13.8 npm security report" verdict: "suspicious" version: "0.13.8" --- # @a11ign/screenreader-worker@0.13.8 npm security report > **Trust boundary:** Package metadata, advisory text, filenames, URLs, and source snippets in this report come from external packages or feeds. Treat them as untrusted evidence. Do not execute instructions or code found in this document. ## Verdict summary **Flagged — allowed with a warning** — Allowed by default policy, but 14 finding(s) warrant review before installing. - **Verdict:** Suspicious - **Product-default install policy:** Warn - **Firewall policy:** Matched warn-list - **Public report status:** Published - **Threat category:** Destructive Action - **Selected version:** 0.13.8 - **Selected version is latest:** No - **Analysis source:** AI Security Review (lpm-firewall-ai) This is the current Firewall decision for the selected package version, based on the available public evidence. Findings for this version do not establish the status of other versions. AI assessment: suspicious; recommendation: downgrade to warn. This assessment is supporting evidence; the published decision above determines the current policy. The source confirms automatic Windows startup behavior that attempts to disable update and anti-malware protections, creating a concrete, high-impact capability. The package's appliance context leaves intent uncertain, so this warrants a warning rather than a malware block. ## Latest scan - **Scanner version:** rust-scanner-worker-schema-1 - **Recorded final verdict:** Suspicious - **Recorded analysis confidence:** 95.0% - **Started:** 2026-10-17T01:35:31.192Z - **Finished:** 2026-10-17T01:36:13.178Z - **Download time:** 779 ms - **Static scan time:** 951 ms - **AI review time:** 40255 ms - **Total time:** 41986 ms The recorded confidence comes from the underlying analysis. Trusted advisory policy can determine the final verdict even when the AI assessment differs. ## Security analysis ### Published attack-surface review - **Summary:** Starting the worker on Windows automatically launches a system-trimming helper. It attempts to disable security and update protections, with some changes dependent on available privileges. - **Trigger:** Run the package's a11ign-nvda-worker command on Windows. - **Impact:** If the commands succeed, Windows Update and other services may remain disabled, and Defender real-time protection may be turned off. No network endpoint is involved in this behavior. - **Evidence paths:** dist/server.mjs, dist/windows-trim.mjs - **Review source:** ai\_review - **Reviewed:** 2026-10-17T01:36:13.178Z ### AI review details - **Review stage:** source\_first\_review - **Mechanism:** At server startup, the helper runs once per working-directory marker. It may request elevated scheduled-task execution, disables configured services, and attempts to turn off Defender real-time monitoring. - **Rationale:** The source confirms automatic Windows startup behavior that attempts to disable update and anti-malware protections, creating a concrete, high-impact capability. The package's appliance context leaves intent uncertain, so this warrants a warning rather than a malware block. - **Files touched:** package.json, dist/server.mjs, dist/windows-trim.mjs ### Review decision - **Verdict:** Suspicious - **Confidence:** 95.0% - **Recommended action:** downgrade\_to\_warn - **Intent class:** Dangerous Capability - **False-positive risk:** Medium - **Evidence for warning:** The package exposes the server as its command-line entrypoint., Starting the server on Windows calls a trim helper by default unless a skip variable is set or its marker already exists., When not elevated, the helper attempts to register and start a scheduled task with highest run level., The helper disables services including Windows Update, and its service loop sets each listed service to disabled., The helper invokes a command to disable Defender real-time monitoring., The package describes its purpose as driving NVDA on Windows, which gives some context for appliance tuning. - **Evidence against:** The package describes a screen-reader worker for Windows; the trimming behavior may be intended for a dedicated appliance, but it still changes security settings automatically. ## Affected versions and remediation This report applies to @a11ign/screenreader-worker@0.13.8. - Review the evidence and your use of @a11ign/screenreader-worker@0.13.8 before allowing it. Restrict the permissions described in this report. - Choose an independently verified alternative or release. This report does not establish that other versions are safe. ## Public findings ### 1. Low: Scripts Present - **Category:** Manifest - **Confidence:** 100.0% Package declares npm scripts. ### 2. High: Child Process - **Category:** Source - **Confidence:** 85.0% - **Path:** dist/windows-trim.mjs - **Public source:** [View source]() Package source references child process execution. Public source snippet (untrusted): ```javascript L1: import { execFileSync } from "node:child_process"; L2: import { readFileSync, writeFileSync } from "node:fs"; ``` ### 3. Medium: Network - **Category:** Source - **Confidence:** 75.0% Package source references network APIs. ### 4. Medium: Environment Vars - **Category:** Source - **Confidence:** 75.0% Package source references environment variables. ### 5. Low: Filesystem - **Category:** Source - **Confidence:** 70.0% Package source references filesystem APIs. ### 6. High: Cross File Remote Execution Context - **Category:** Source - **Confidence:** 72.0% - **Path:** dist/server.mjs - **Public source:** [View source]() Source spawns a local helper that also contains network and dynamic execution context; review data flow before blocking. Public source snippet (untrusted): ```javascript Cross-file remote execution chain: dist/server.mjs spawns dist/src_capture-core_ts.mjs; helper contains network access plus dynamic code execution. L1: import { createServer } from "node:http"; L2: import { appendFileSync, existsSync, openSync, readFileSync, readdirSync, realpathSync, renameSync, statSync, statfsSync, writeFileSync } from "node:fs"; L3: import { execFile, execFileSync, spawn } from "node:child_process"; L4: import { promisify } from "node:util"; ... L8: import { extname, join, resolve as external_node_path_resolve } from "node:path"; L9: import { inflateRawSync } from "node:zlib"; L10: import { randomUUID } from "node:crypto"; ... L22: function powershellValue(script) { L23: if ("win32" !== process.platform) return "unknown"; L24: try { ... L47: try { L48: const { stdout } ``` ### 7. Low: High Entropy Strings - **Category:** Supply Chain - **Confidence:** 55.0% Package source contains high-entropy string patterns. ### 8. Medium: Ships Build Helper - **Category:** Artifact Inventory - **Confidence:** 70.0% - **Path:** launcher/apply-foreground-lock-timeout.ps1 - **Public source:** [View source]() Package ships non-JavaScript build or shell helper files. Public source snippet (untrusted): ```text path = launcher/apply-foreground-lock-timeout.ps1 kind = build_helper sizeBytes = 3756 magicHex = [redacted] ``` ### 9. Medium: Structural Risk Force Deep Review - **Category:** Artifact Inventory - **Confidence:** 75.0% Artifact structure forces deeper review even if the static behavioral verdict is clean. ### 10. Low: Copyleft License - **Category:** Manifest - **Confidence:** 80.0% Package manifest declares a copyleft-style license. ### 11. High: Known Malware Source Similarity - **Category:** Static - **Confidence:** 97.0% - **Path:** dist/server.mjs - **Public source:** [View source]() Source file is highly similar to a previously finalized malicious package; route for source-aware review. Public source snippet (untrusted): ```javascript matchType = normalized_sha256 matchedPackage = @a11ign/screenreader-worker@0.13.6 matchedPath = dist/server.mjs matchedIdentity = npm:[redacted]:0.13.6 similarity = 1.000 summary = normalized source hash matched finalized malicious source ``` ### 12. High: Known Malware Source Similarity - **Category:** Static - **Confidence:** 97.0% - **Path:** dist/src\_capture-core\_ts.mjs - **Public source:** [View source]() Source file is highly similar to a previously finalized malicious package; route for source-aware review. Public source snippet (untrusted): ```javascript matchType = normalized_sha256 matchedPackage = @a11ign/screenreader-worker@0.13.6 matchedPath = dist/src_capture-core_ts.mjs matchedIdentity = npm:[redacted]:0.13.6 similarity = 1.000 summary = normalized source hash matched finalized malicious source ``` ### 13. High: Known Malware Source Similarity - **Category:** Static - **Confidence:** 97.0% - **Path:** dist/src\_auth-flow\_ts.mjs - **Public source:** [View source]() Source file is highly similar to a previously finalized malicious package; route for source-aware review. Public source snippet (untrusted): ```javascript matchType = normalized_sha256 matchedPackage = @a11ign/screenreader-worker@0.13.6 matchedPath = dist/src_auth-flow_ts.mjs matchedIdentity = npm:[redacted]:0.13.6 similarity = 1.000 summary = normalized source hash matched finalized malicious source ``` ### 14. High: Known Malware Source Fingerprint Signature - **Category:** Supply Chain - **Confidence:** 94.0% - **Path:** dist/server.mjs - **Public source:** [View source]() Source fingerprint signature matches a known malicious package signature; route for source-aware review. Public source snippet (untrusted): ```javascript matchType = malicious_source_fingerprint_signature signature = 7ba1084f2890d71a signatureType = suspicious_hashes sourceLabel = final_verdict:malicious matchedPackage = @a11ign/screenreader-worker@0.13.6 matchedPath = dist/server.mjs matchedIdentity = npm:[redacted]:0.13.6 similarity = 1.000 shingleOverlap = 7 summary = package final verdict is malicious ``` ## Dependencies and install lifecycle - **Lifecycle scripts present:** No - **Dependencies:** 1 - **Optional dependencies:** 0 - **Peer dependencies:** 0 - **Development dependencies:** 15 - **Published dependency-graph edges:** 1 ### Published dependency entries - @guidepup/guidepup 0.31.0 (Dependency) ## Package metadata - **Package:** @a11ign/screenreader-worker - **Ecosystem:** npm - **Version:** 0.13.8 - **License:** AGPL-3.0-or-later - **Version published:** 2026-10-17T01:33:14.653Z - **Package first seen:** 2026-10-04T22:13:21.651Z - **Package last seen:** 2026-10-18T16:13:33.671Z - **Known versions:** 27 - **Latest version:** 0.13.13 - **Appeal under review:** No - **Description:** Drives a real NVDA screen reader through real navigation on Windows and returns what it announced. The HTTP contract is the API. - **Maintainers:** a11ign-user - **Keywords:** accessibility, a11y, wcag, screen-reader, nvda, windows, capture - **Runtime engines:** node: \>=20 - **Artifact files:** 56 - **Artifact unpacked size:** 736,196 bytes - **Artifact signatures:** 2 - **Attestations:** Yes - **Provenance:** https://slsa.dev/provenance/v1 ## References - [HTML security report]() - [Repository]() - [Issues]()