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MAL-2026-6432

Malicious code in rstreams-metrics (npm)

Details

The `rstreams-metrics` 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 (9d9e133bf9dbd9eea22952c5acb674e61c46e4a75b64fd2b9166480094fe0eaf) The package ships a binding.gyp file that uses GYP command-expansion syntax (<!(...)) at line 6, in the sources/targets configuration. npm implicitly invokes node-gyp rebuild whenever a binding.gyp is present — even without any declared install/postinstall lifecycle script — and GYP evaluates <!(...) expressions as shell commands during the configure step. This causes arbitrary shell execution on the installer's machine as a side effect of `npm install`, functionally equivalent to a postinstall hook but hidden inside the native-build configuration. The mechanism is a well-known install-time RCE vector and does not require any user opt-in or explicit CLI invocation.

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Affected packages

npm / rstreams-metrics

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References