Malicious code in troubleshooting (npm)

troubleshooting is a dependency-confusion package: it is described as a "Compatibility shim", uses version numbers up to 99.0.1, and its README calls it an "authorized dependency-confusion test". Each listed version has a postinstall script that runs `node beacon.cjs` on npm install, and index.js calls the same code when the package is imported; it POSTs the hostname, install path and current working directory over plain HTTP to `http://185.158.107.175:8787/_ah/dc`, and index.js exports a Proxy that returns no-op functions so builds importing the real package keep running. The npm account xwise8887 published these 7 versions, and 6 versions of browser-metrics-plugin.contrib with the same payload, on 2026-10-07 between 00:01 and 00:07 UTC. --- _-= Per source details. Do not edit below this line.=-_ ## Source: amazon-inspector (28103a0b6203c0917551439eb348f6b197e382fad4e84d9bf2cbaadd48012ccb) [email protected] is a stub package whose only functional behavior is a reconnaissance beacon. package.json declares `scripts.postinstall: node beacon.cjs`, which runs on `npm install`, and index.js runs the same beacon on `require('troubleshooting')` before exporting a Proxy whose properties all return no-ops so consuming bundlers do not crash. beacon.cjs collects the package name, `os.hostname()`, `__dirname` (install path), `process.cwd()`, and `process.version`, and POSTs them as JSON to the hardcoded bare-IP endpoint http://185.158.107.175:8787/_ah/dc over plain HTTP. The README self-labels the package as an authorized dependency-confusion test, but the behavior is identical to a dependency-confusion exfiltration payload: any environment whose internal/private package name collides with `troubleshooting` on the public npm registry will have its build host, install path, working directory, and Node version reported to an outside party at a bare IP, providing actionable fingerprinting of internal build systems and CI runners.

Source published

7 Oct 2026 00:04:15 UTC

Source modified

8 Oct 2026 04:00:05 UTC

Observed here

24 Oct 2026 13:17:17 UTC

Source terms

OSV · upstream source license applies

Original source record · Cite this exact observation · Complete original publisher JSON

This view projects the publisher's source fields for reading; the original JSON retains additional fields and CVE enrichment containers. Attribution: osv · OSV · upstream source license applies. Source text is retained; field grouping and change labels are provided by ChangeIntel.