OpenSSF/OSV advisory MAL-2026-14440 confirms this npm version as malicious. web-advertising@999.9.16 declares scripts.preinstall = 'node index.js', so index.js executes automatically on npm install. The script collects hostname, username, home directory, local/public/resolver IP addresses, CI environment identifiers (GITHUB_REPOSITORY, GITHUB_ACTOR, CI_PROJECT_PATH, AWS_REGION), the parent project's package.json name/author/repo, and authenticated developer identities obtained by shelling...
Source
OpenSSF Malicious Packages via OSV
Summary
Malicious code in web-advertising (npm)
Details
web-advertising@999.9.16 declares scripts.preinstall = 'node index.js', so index.js executes automatically on npm install. The script collects hostname, username, home directory, local/public/resolver IP addresses, CI environment identifiers (GITHUB_REPOSITORY, GITHUB_ACTOR, CI_PROJECT_PATH, AWS_REGION), the parent project's package.json name/author/repo, and authenticated developer identities obtained by shelling out to `gh api user --jq.login`, `npm whoami`, and `git config user.email`. The collected JSON is hex-encoded, split into 60-character chunks, and exfiltrated via DNS subdomain queries to da51rv0hb2uc72tg4gvgdepinjcallbk1.oast.fun and via HTTPS/HTTP POST to the same callback host. The package name plus 999.9.16 versioning and the OAST callback are consistent with a dependency-confusion beacon. The README's self-description as authorised research does not change the observed behavior: installer host, CI, and identity data leave the machine to an author-controlled third-party callback with no installer consent, and DNS tunneling is used to bypass egress filtering.
Decision reason
OpenSSF Malicious Packages via OSV confirms web-advertising@999.9.16 as malicious (MAL-2026-14440): Malicious code in web-advertising (npm)