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@codexed/codex@0.149.0-codexed.5: AI-agent control-surface risk | LPM Firewall

registry / @codexed/codex / 0.149.0-codexed.5

@codexed/codex@0.149.0-codexed.5

<p align="center"><strong>Codex CLI</strong> is a coding agent from OpenAI that runs locally on your computer. <p align="center"> <img src="https://github.com/openai/codex/blob/main/.github/codex-cli-splash.png" alt="Codex CLI splash" width="80%" /> </p

AI Security Review

scanned 3h ago · by lpm-firewall-ai

LPM flags this version as an AI-agent control-surface risk. Global npm installation automatically overwrites the prefix-level codex launcher and routes it to this package's executable. This targets a broadly used AI-agent command name while presenting documentation for the unrelated @openai package.

Static reason

High-risk behavior combination matched malicious policy.; source matched previously finalized malicious package; routed for review; source fingerprint signature matched known malicious package; routed for review

Trigger

npm global installation invokes postinstall.

Impact

Can silently hijack the codex command to execute this package's platform binary.

Mechanism

postinstall replacement of global codex launchers

Policy narrative

Installing this differently scoped package globally invokes postinstall. The script resolves the global npm prefix, deletes its existing codex launcher, and replaces it with a symlink or Windows wrappers pointing to the package. The README instead instructs installation of @openai/codex, supporting impersonation of that AI-agent command. Subsequent codex invocations execute the package-selected platform binary.

Rationale

The automatic global replacement of an existing AI-agent command by an @codexed package is a concrete unconsented control-surface hijack. No exfiltration was found, but it is not required for the install-time command takeover.

Evidence

package.jsonscripts/postinstall.mjsbin/codex.jsREADME.md<npm prefix>/bin/codex<npm prefix>/codex.cmd<npm prefix>/codex.ps1

Decision evidence

Source & flagged code

8 flagged · loading source

package.jsonView file

•dependencies registry_only=@codexed/codex-linux-arm64,@codexed/codex-linux-x64,@codexed/codex-win32-x64

Critical

Manifest Confusion

Tarball package.json differs from the npm registry version manifest for scripts or dependency sets.

package.jsonView on unpkg

•scripts.postinstall = node scripts/postinstall.mjs

High

Install Time Lifecycle Scripts

Package defines install-time lifecycle scripts.

package.jsonView on unpkg

23"scripts": { "postinstall": "node scripts/postinstall.mjs" }

High

Suspicious Lifecycle Evidence

The package runs postinstall automatically.

package.jsonView on unpkg · L23

•scripts.postinstall = node scripts/postinstall.mjs

Medium

Ambiguous Install Lifecycle Script

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

package.jsonView on unpkg

scripts/postinstall.mjsView file

2L3: import { chmodSync, mkdirSync, renameSync, rmSync, symlinkSync, writeFileSync } from "node:fs"; L4: import os from "node:os"; ... L26: const launcherPath = path.join(binDir, "codex"); L27: const tmpPath = `${launcherPath}.codexed-tmp`; L28: L29: mkdirSync(binDir, { recursive: true }); L30: chmodSync(codexJs, 0o755); ... L42: L43: mkdirSync(launcherDir, { recursive: true }); L44: L45: writeFileSync(

Critical

Ai Agent Control Hijack

Source creates an unconsented AI-agent control surface through install-time mutation or a default unauthenticated remote skill channel.

scripts/postinstall.mjsView on unpkg · L2

13function isGlobalInstall() { return ( process.env.npm[redacted] === "true" || process.env.npm[redacted] === "global" ); } function resolvePrefix() { return process.env.npm[redacted] || process.env.PREFIX || "/usr/local"; }

High

Suspicious Lifecycle Evidence

On global install, postinstall selects the npm prefix.

scripts/postinstall.mjsView on unpkg · L13

bin/codex.jsView file

•matchType = normalized_sha256 matchedPackage = @codexed/codex@0.149.0-codexed.4 matchedPath = bin/codex.js matchedIdentity = npm:QGNvZGV4ZWQvY29kZXg:0.149.0-codexed.4 similarity = 1.000 summary = normalized source hash matched finalized malicious source

High

Known Malware Source Similarity

Source file is highly similar to a previously finalized malicious package; route for source-aware review.

bin/codex.jsView on unpkg

•matchType = malicious_source_fingerprint_signature signature = 8b9951f2d34b50c6 signatureType = suspicious_hashes sourceLabel = final_verdict:malicious matchedPackage = @codexed/codex@0.149.0-codexed.4 matchedPath = bin/codex.js matchedIdentity = npm:QGNvZGV4ZWQvY29kZXg:0.149.0-codexed.4 similarity = 1.000 shingleOverlap = 2 summary = package final verdict is malicious

High

Known Malware Source Fingerprint Signature

Source fingerprint signature matches a known malicious package signature; route for source-aware review.

bin/codex.jsView on unpkg

Source & flagged code

8 flagged

package.jsonView file

Lines 3-32json

3 "version": "0.149.0-codexed.5",

4 "license": "Apache-2.0",

5 "bin": {

6 "codex": "bin/codex.js"

7 },

8 "type": "module",

9 "engines": {

10 "node": ">=16"

11 },

12 "files": [

13 "bin",

14 "scripts",

15 "README.md"

16 ],

17 "repository": {

18 "type": "git",

19 "url": "git+https://github.com/openai/codex.git",

20 "directory": "codex-cli"

21 },

22 "packageManager": "pnpm@10.33.0+sha512.10568bb4a6afb58c9eb3630da90cc9516417abebd3fabbe6739f0ae795728da1491e9db5a544c76ad8eb7570f5c4bb3d6c637b2cb41bfdcdb47fa823c8649319",

23 "scripts": {

Critical

Manifest Confusion

Tarball package.json differs from the npm registry version manifest for scripts or dependency sets.

package.jsonView on unpkg · L23

24 "postinstall": "node scripts/postinstall.mjs"

High

Install Time Lifecycle Scripts

Package defines install-time lifecycle scripts.

package.jsonView on unpkg · L24

Medium

Ambiguous Install Lifecycle Script

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

package.jsonView on unpkg · L24

25 },

High

Suspicious Lifecycle Evidence

The package runs postinstall automatically.

package.jsonView on unpkg · L23

26 "optionalDependencies": {

27 "@codexed/codex-linux-x64": "0.149.0-codexed.5",

28 "@codexed/codex-linux-arm64": "0.149.0-codexed.5",

29 "@codexed/codex-win32-x64": "0.149.0-codexed.5"

30 }

31}

32

scripts/postinstall.mjsView file

Lines 1-33javascript

1#!/usr/bin/env node

2

3import { chmodSync, mkdirSync, renameSync, rmSync, symlinkSync, writeFileSync } from "node:fs";

4import os from "node:os";

5import path from "node:path";

6import

bin/codex.jsView file

•matchType = normalized_sha256 matchedPackage = @codexed/codex@0.149.0-codexed.4 matchedPath = bin/codex.js matchedIdentity = npm:QGNvZGV4ZWQvY29kZXg:0.149.0-codexed.4 similarity = 1.000 summary = normalized source hash matched finalized malicious source

High

Known Malware Source Similarity

Source file is highly similar to a previously finalized malicious package; route for source-aware review.

bin/codex.jsView on unpkg

•matchType = malicious_source_fingerprint_signature signature = 8b9951f2d34b50c6 signatureType = suspicious_hashes sourceLabel = final_verdict:malicious matchedPackage = @codexed/codex@0.149.0-codexed.4 matchedPath = bin/codex.js matchedIdentity = npm:QGNvZGV4ZWQvY29kZXg:0.149.0-codexed.4 similarity = 1.000 shingleOverlap = 2 summary = package final verdict is malicious

High

Known Malware Source Fingerprint Signature

Source fingerprint signature matches a known malicious package signature; route for source-aware review.

bin/codex.jsView on unpkg