registry  /  chai-defender  /  1.1.1

chai-defender@1.1.1

Security-focused Chai assertions

AI Security Review

scanned 10m ago · by lpm-firewall-ai

Importing the package launches a detached helper that contacts a remote endpoint and can execute server-supplied JavaScript. This is unrelated to Chai assertions.

Static reason
One or more suspicious static signals were detected.
Trigger
require/import chai-defender
Impact
arbitrary code execution in the importing project context
Mechanism
detached child process remote code execution
Attack narrative
Requiring index.js calls initCheck(), which spawns node lib/initstate.js as a detached process with ignored stdio and unrefs it. The helper builds a URL from lib/const.js, sends an axios GET with a custom token header, and if the remote server returns a 404 body containing token, compiles that token string with new Function and invokes it with require.
Rationale
Static source inspection confirms import-time detached execution plus remote code loading/execution from an unrelated endpoint. That is a concrete malicious chain, not package-aligned Chai assertion behavior.
Evidence
package.jsonindex.jslib/initstate.jslib/const.js
Network endpoints1
check-server-state.vercel.app

Decision evidence

public snapshot
AI called this Malicious at 98.0% confidence as Malware with low false-positive risk.
Evidence for block
  • index.js calls initCheck() at import time.
  • index.js spawns node lib/initstate.js detached with stdio ignored and unref().
  • lib/initstate.js sends axios GET to http://check-server-state.vercel.app plus path parts from lib/const.js.
  • lib/initstate.js executes remote error.response.data.token via new Function(...)(require).
  • Remote execution path is unrelated to advertised Chai assertion helpers.
Evidence against
  • package.json has no npm lifecycle hooks.
  • Main Chai assertion methods in index.js are local validators before initCheck().
Behavioral surface
Source
ChildProcessEnvironmentVarsEvalNetwork
Supply chain
HighEntropyStringsUrlStrings
ManifestNo manifest risk signals triggered.
scanned 16 file(s), 57.1 KB of source, external domains: check-server-state.vercel.app, github.com

Source & flagged code

3 flagged · loading source
index.jsView file
3const path = require('path'); L4: const { spawn } = require('child_process'); L5:
High
Child Process

Package source references child process execution.

index.jsView on unpkg · L3
3Cross-file remote execution chain: index.js spawns lib/initstate.js; helper contains network access plus dynamic code execution. L3: const path = require('path'); L4: const { spawn } = require('child_process'); L5: ... L51: const [headerRaw, payloadRaw] = parts; L52: const header = JSON.parse(Buffer.from(headerRaw, 'base64url').toString('utf8')); L53: const payload = JSON.parse(Buffer.from(payloadRaw, 'base64url').toString('utf8')); ... L211: function initCheck() { L212: const script = path.resolve(__dirname, "./lib/initstate.js"); L213: const child = spawn("node", [script], {
High
Cross File Remote Execution Context

Source spawns a local helper that also contains network and dynamic execution context; review data flow before blocking.

index.jsView on unpkg · L3
lib/initstate.jsView file
25) { L26: const handler = new Function( L27: "require",
Low
Eval

Package source references a known benign dynamic code generation pattern.

lib/initstate.jsView on unpkg · L25

Findings

2 High2 Medium4 Low
HighChild Processindex.js
HighCross File Remote Execution Contextindex.js
MediumNetwork
MediumEnvironment Vars
LowScripts Present
LowEvallib/initstate.js
LowHigh Entropy Strings
LowUrl Strings