chai-as-bench
This report shows the evidence for chai-as-bench@7.0.3, the only known version.
This package appears in our research on the fake chai plugin campaign, with how it works, the full package list and what to do if you installed it.
OpenSSF/OSV Malicious Advisory
imported 2mo ago · by OpenSSF/OSVOpenSSF/OSV advisory MAL-2026-13699 confirms this npm version as malicious.
Advisory
MAL-2026-13699
Source
OpenSSF Malicious Packages via OSV
Summary
Malicious code in chai-as-bench (npm)
Details
The package presents itself as a chai plugin (name resembles chai-as-promised, manifest description references chai assertions), but ships no chai-related functionality. index.js unconditionally loads lib/config.js on require(), and lib/config.js is a ~4 MB obfuscator.io payload with a 23,890-entry rotating string array, hex-obfuscated identifiers, and control-flow flattening. The remaining lib/ files (proto.js, multistream.js, transport.js) plus LICENSE are copied verbatim from the unrelated pino logger project as camouflage, and index.js itself only exports a no-op Express-style middleware ((_req,_res,next)=>next()). README contains placeholder yourusername GitHub URLs and generic author metadata (james@abscond.org). Heavy obfuscation of a multi-megabyte payload that runs on every require(), inside a package whose advertised purpose does not require any such code and whose surrounding files are stolen from an unrelated project, is the standard loader/stealer shape for an npm supply-chain plant targeting developers who mistype chai-as-promised.
References
Source & flagged code
0 flagged · loading sourceNo flagged code excerpts are attached to this scan.
Findings
1 High
HighOsv Malicious Advisory
Affected versions and remediation
This report applies to chai-as-bench@7.0.3.
The versions list below shows the verdict for each recorded version.
- Avoid installing chai-as-bench@7.0.3. 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.
Evidence last updated: .
Source advisory published: .
This report uses published external intelligence. The advisory does not provide a separate source-code analysis for each listed version.
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