MAL-2026-6423
Malicious code in leo-connector-elasticsearch (npm)
Details
The `leo-connector-elasticsearch` npm package was compromised as part of the Miasma worm campaign targeting the LeoPlatform npm ecosystem. On June 24, 2026, 20 LeoPlatform packages were published within a 3-second window by a threat actor who had taken over the npm account `czirker` belonging to the LeoPlatform organization.
The malicious payload is triggered automatically during `npm install` via a `binding.gyp` file using node-gyp command expansion (`<!(node index.js > /dev/null 2>&1 && echo stub.c)`), which bypasses lifecycle script scanners. The replaced `index.js` (~5.2 MB, obfuscated with ROT-N + AES-128-GCM encryption) deploys a multi-stage worm with the following capabilities:
- Credential theft: Targets npm, GitHub, PyPI, RubyGems, Kubernetes, HashiCorp Vault, AWS (IAM keys, Secrets Manager, IMDS), 1Password, JFrog Artifactory, and SSH keys. - AI tool targeting: Exfiltrates configuration files for Claude, Cursor, Gemini, and VS Code. - Worm propagation: Enumerates npm packages and auto-publishes version bumps to spread to other maintainers in the ecosystem. - GitHub persistence: Creates orphan `snapshot-<hex>` branches with fake "Dependabot Updates" workflows to maintain access after initial compromise.
Any system that installed this version should be considered fully compromised. Rotate all secrets immediately from a separate, clean machine. See the linked SafeDep report for full payload analysis, indicators of compromise, and remediation guidance.
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## Source: amazon-inspector (fe643e56a0ed63b5f361b4d14c4f6a0a4e13d58bb1c68bb2d296ceafc7756465) The package ships a binding.gyp containing GYP command-expansion syntax (<!(...)) at line 6 inside the targets/sources fields. npm implicitly runs `node-gyp rebuild` whenever a binding.gyp is present — even without any declared install or postinstall lifecycle script — and GYP evaluates <!(...) as a shell command during the configure step. This causes the embedded command to execute on the installer's machine on `npm install`, functionally equivalent to a lifecycle hook running arbitrary code. The binding.gyp embedding command substitution rather than a list of real native source files (.c/.cc/.cpp) indicates the file's purpose is to run that command at install time, not to build a legitimate native addon.
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Affected packages
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