--- canonical: "https://firewall.lpm.dev/npm/@a11ign/screenreader-worker" markdown: "https://firewall.lpm.dev/npm/@a11ign/screenreader-worker/v/0.8.0.md" package: "@a11ign/screenreader-worker" report_status: "published" title: "@a11ign/screenreader-worker@0.8.0 npm security report" verdict: "malicious" version: "0.8.0" --- # @a11ign/screenreader-worker@0.8.0 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 **Blocked & quarantined** — System features and security protections may be disabled without an affirmative trim setting. - **Verdict:** Malicious - **Product-default install policy:** Block - **Firewall policy:** Matched malicious - **Public report status:** Published - **Threat category:** Destructive Action - **Selected version:** 0.8.0 - **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: malicious; recommendation: publish block. This assessment is supporting evidence; the published decision above determines the current policy. The package's primary purpose does not require automatic removal of Windows apps, disabling system services, or disabling Defender. The reachable startup behavior and attempted privilege escalation establish a concrete destructive security impact. ## Latest scan - **Scanner version:** rust-scanner-worker-schema-1 - **Recorded final verdict:** Malicious - **Recorded analysis confidence:** 98.0% - **Started:** 2026-10-18T16:11:12.158Z - **Finished:** 2026-10-18T16:12:23.217Z - **Download time:** 520 ms - **Static scan time:** 816 ms - **AI review time:** 69722 ms - **Total time:** 71059 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:** Launching the worker on Windows automatically starts system trimming. The helper can remove apps, disable services, and turn off Defender real-time monitoring. - **Trigger:** Run the server on Windows without setting A11Y\_SKIP\_TRIM=1. - **Impact:** System features and security protections may be disabled without an affirmative trim setting. - **Evidence paths:** dist/server.mjs, dist/windows-trim.mjs - **Review source:** ai\_review - **Reviewed:** 2026-10-18T16:12:23.217Z ### AI review details - **Review stage:** source\_first\_review - **Mechanism:** The server launches a detached helper, which applies system changes and attempts to disable Defender; it may request highest-privilege execution through a scheduled task. - **Attack narrative:** When the server starts on Windows, it launches a detached trimming helper unless an environment opt-out is set. The helper removes selected provisioned apps and disables listed services, then attempts to turn off Defender real-time monitoring. If it is not elevated, it attempts to start through a highest-privilege scheduled task. - **Rationale:** The package's primary purpose does not require automatic removal of Windows apps, disabling system services, or disabling Defender. The reachable startup behavior and attempted privilege escalation establish a concrete destructive security impact. - **Files touched:** dist/server.mjs, dist/windows-trim.mjs ### Review decision - **Verdict:** Malicious - **Confidence:** 98.0% - **Recommended action:** publish\_block - **Intent class:** Malware - **False-positive risk:** Low - **Evidence for block:** The package exposes the server as a command-line executable., Starting the server automatically launches Windows trimming unless an environment opt-out is set., The helper can remove provisioned apps and disable Windows services., The helper attempts to disable Defender real-time monitoring when run directly., When not elevated, the helper tries to register and start a highest-privilege scheduled task. - **Evidence against:** The trim is limited to Windows and can be skipped with A11Y\_SKIP\_TRIM. ## Affected versions and remediation This report applies to @a11ign/screenreader-worker@0.8.0. - Avoid installing @a11ign/screenreader-worker@0.8.0. Remove it from direct dependencies and check your lockfile for transitive copies. - Choose an independently verified alternative or release. This report does not establish that other versions are safe. - If this version ran, investigate the affected machine and build environment. Rotate credentials it could access and rebuild from a trusted environment. ## 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, renameSync, statSync, statfsSync, writeFileSync } from "node:fs"; L3: import { execFile, execFileSync, spawn } from "node:child_process"; L4: import { promisify } from "node:util"; ... L7: import { extname, join, resolve as external_node_path_resolve } from "node:path"; L8: import { inflateRawSync } from "node:zlib"; L9: import { rm } from "node:fs/promises"; ... L22: function powershellValue(script) { L23: if ("win32" !== process.platform) return "unknown"; L24: try { ... L47: try { L48: const { stdout } = await execFileA ``` ### 7. Low: High Entropy Strings - **Category:** Supply Chain - **Confidence:** 55.0% Package source contains high-entropy string patterns. ### 8. Low: Copyleft License - **Category:** Manifest - **Confidence:** 80.0% Package manifest declares a copyleft-style license. ### 9. 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@0.6.0 matchedPath = dist/src_capture-core_mjs.mjs matchedIdentity = npm:[redacted]:0.6.0 similarity = 1.000 summary = normalized source hash matched finalized malicious source ``` ### 10. 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@0.6.0 matchedPath = dist/src_auth-flow_mjs.mjs matchedIdentity = npm:[redacted]:0.6.0 similarity = 1.000 summary = normalized source hash matched finalized malicious source ``` ### 11. Critical: Previous Version Dangerous Delta - **Category:** Supply Chain - **Confidence:** 93.0% - **Path:** dist/server.mjs - **Public source:** [View source]() This package version adds a dangerous source file absent from the previous stored version; route for source-aware review. Public source snippet (untrusted): ```javascript matchType = previous_version_dangerous_delta matchedPackage = @a11ign/screenreader-worker@0.5.0 matchedIdentity = npm:[redacted]:0.5.0 similarity = 0.522 summary = stored previous version shares package body but lacks this dangerous source file ``` ### 12. High: Ai Review Evidence - **Category:** Ai Review - **Confidence:** 98.0% - **Path:** package.json - **Public source:** [View source]() The package exposes the server as a command-line executable. Public source snippet (untrusted): ```json "bin": { "a11ign-nvda-worker": "./dist/server.mjs" }, "files": [ "dist", "README.md", "LICENSE" ``` ## 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:** 0.8.0 - **License:** AGPL-3.0-or-later - **Version published:** 2026-10-09T03:59:34.924Z - **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. - **Keywords:** accessibility, a11y, wcag, screen-reader, nvda, windows, capture - **Runtime engines:** node: \>=20 - **Artifact files:** 49 - **Artifact unpacked size:** 666,996 bytes - **Artifact signatures:** 2 - **Attestations:** Yes ## References - [HTML security report]() - [Repository]() - [Homepage]() - [Issues]()