registry / @apexfdn/apex / 1.0.15

@apexfdn/apex@1.0.15

AI Security Review

scanned 3h ago · by lpm-firewall-ai

`postinstall` retrieves unverified native executables from a GitHub release and stores them inside the package. The CLI launcher executes that downloaded payload with the caller's environment.

Static reason

One or more suspicious static signals were detected.

Trigger

npm install, followed by invoking `apex`

Impact

A release-side payload change or compromised release can execute code on the installing machine when the CLI is run.

Mechanism

install-time remote binary and native-addon retrieval

Rationale

The package is an install-time remote payload carrier with no artifact integrity verification, but the inspected source does not establish direct malicious behavior such as exfiltration, destruction, or AI-agent control-surface hijacking.

Evidence

package.jsoninstall.cjsapex.cjsbin/apex~/.apex/natives/16.3.6/pi_natives.win32-x64-baseline.node

Network endpoints1

github.com/Apex-Foundation/copilot/releases/download/v1.0.0/

OSV Corroboration

OpenSSF/OSV

Advisory

MAL-2026-10979

Source

OpenSSF Malicious Packages via OSV

Summary

Malicious code in @apexfdn/apex (npm)

Details

Any computer that has this package installed or running should be considered fully compromised. All secrets and keys stored on that computer should be rotated immediately from a different computer. The package should be removed, but as full control of the computer may have been given to an outside entity, there is no guarantee that removing the package will remove all malicious software resulting from installing it.

References

OSV advisory OpenSSF JSON ADVISORY

Decision evidence

public snapshot

AI called this Suspicious at 91.0% confidence as Dangerous Capability with low false-positive risk.

Evidence for block

`package.json` runs `node install.cjs` as `postinstall`.
`install.cjs` downloads a platform executable during install without an integrity/signature check.
The fetched executable is written to `bin/apex`; `apex.cjs` later executes it with inherited environment.
On Windows, `install.cjs` also downloads a native `.node` addon into `~/.apex/natives/16.3.6`.
The packaged `bin/apex` is empty, so runtime behavior depends on the install-time remote payload.

Evidence against

No credential harvesting, data exfiltration, destructive action, or AI-agent config mutation appears in the inspected JavaScript.
Downloads are from the hard-coded GitHub repository `Apex-Foundation/copilot`, not an arbitrary user-controlled URL.

Behavioral surface

Source

ChildProcessEnvironmentVarsFilesystemNetwork

Supply chain

UrlStrings

ManifestNo manifest risk signals triggered.

scanned 2 file(s), 3.12 KB of source, external domains: github.com

Source & flagged code

2 flagged

package.jsonView file

Lines 32-72json

32 },

33 "scripts": {

34 "build": "bun scripts/build-binary.ts",

35 "check": "biome check . && bun run check:docs && bun run check:types",

36 "check:docs": "bun scripts/generate-docs-index.ts --check",

37 "check:types": "tsgo -p tsconfig.json --noEmit",

38 "lint": "biome lint .",

39 "test": "bun ../../scripts/ci-test-ts.ts coding-agent-heavy --full",

40 "fix": "biome check --write --unsafe . && bun run format-prompts",

41 "fmt": "biome format --write . && bun run format-prompts",

42 "format-prompts": "bun scripts/format-prompts.ts",

43 "gen:docs": "bun scripts/generate-docs-index.ts --generate",

44 "gen:docs:reset": "bun scripts/generate-docs-index.ts --reset",

45 "gen:tool-views": "bun --cwd=../collab-web run gen:tool-views",

46 "gen:bundle": "bun scripts/bundle-dist.ts",

47 "gen:mupdf": "bun scripts/embed-mupdf-wasm.ts --generate",

48 "gen:mupdf:reset": "bun scripts/embed-mupdf-wasm.ts --reset",

49 "gen:native": "bun --cwd=../natives run gen:native",

50 "gen:native:reset": "bun --cwd=../natives run gen:native:reset",

51 "bench:guard": "bun scripts/bench-guard.ts",

52 "postinstall": "node install.cjs"

High

Install Time Lifecycle Scripts

Package defines install-time lifecycle scripts.

package.jsonView on unpkg · L52

Medium

Ambiguous Install Lifecycle Script

Install-time lifecycle script is not statically allowlisted and needs review.

package.jsonView on unpkg · L52

53 },

54 "dependencies": {

55 "chalk": "^5.6.2",

56 "arktype": "^2.2.0",

57 "zod": "^4",

58 "lru-cache": "11.5.1",

59 "diff": "^9.0.0",

60 "mammoth": "^1.12.0",

61 "turndown": "7.2.4",

62 "turndown-plugin-gfm": "1.0.2",

63 "winston": "^3.19.0",

64 "winston-daily-rotate-file": "^5.0.0",

65 "linkedom": "^0.18.12",

66 "fast-xml-parser": "^5.9.0",

67 "@mozilla/readability": "^0.6.0",

68 "@babel/parser": "^7.29.7",

69 "@puppeteer/browsers": "^3.0.4",

70 "puppeteer-core": "^25.1.0",

71 "@xterm/headless": "^6.0.0",

72 "@agentclientprotocol/sdk": "0.25.0",

Source & flagged code

2 flagged · loading source

package.jsonView file

•scripts.postinstall = node install.cjs

High

Install Time Lifecycle Scripts

Package defines install-time lifecycle scripts.

package.jsonView on unpkg

•scripts.postinstall = node install.cjs

Medium

Ambiguous Install Lifecycle Script

Install-time lifecycle script is not statically allowlisted and needs review.

package.jsonView on unpkg

Findings

1 High3 Medium3 Low

HighInstall Time Lifecycle Scriptspackage.json

MediumAmbiguous Install Lifecycle Scriptpackage.json

MediumNetwork

MediumEnvironment Vars

LowScripts Present

LowFilesystem

LowUrl Strings