SECURITY ADVISORY — TanStack npm packages
A supply-chain compromise affecting 42 @tanstack/* packages (84 versions total) was published to npm earlier today at approximately 19:20 and 19:26 UTC. Two malicious versions per package.
Status: ACTIVE — packages are deprecated, npm security engaged, publish path being shut down.
Severity: HIGH — payload exfiltrates AWS, GCP, Kubernetes, and Vault credentials, GitHub tokens, .npmrc contents, and SSH keys.
If you installed any @tanstack/* package between 19:20 and 19:30 UTC today, treat the host as potentially compromised:
• Rotate cloud, GitHub, and SSH credentials immediately
• Audit cloud audit logs for the last several hours
• Pin to a prior known-good version and reinstall from a clean lockfile
Detection — the malicious manifest contains:
"optionalDependencies": {
"@tanstack/setup": "github:tanstack/router#79ac49ee..."
}
Any version with this entry is compromised. The payload is delivered via a git-resolved optionalDependency whose prepare script runs router_init.js (~2.3 MB, smuggled into each tarball at the package root).
Unpublish is blocked by npm policy for most affected packages due to existing third-party dependents. All 84 versions are being deprecated with a SECURITY warning, and npm security has been engaged to pull tarballs at the registry level.
Full technical breakdown, complete package and version list, and rolling status updates:
https://t.co/Zy8qG7PA9f
Credit to the security researcher for responsible disclosure.
🚨 CRITICAL: Active supply chain attack on axios -- one of npm's most depended-on packages.
The latest [email protected] now pulls in [email protected], a package that did not exist before today. This is a live compromise.
This is textbook supply chain installer malware. axios has 100M+ weekly downloads. Every npm install pulling the latest version is potentially compromised right now.
Socket AI analysis confirms this is malware. plain-crypto-js is an obfuscated dropper/loader that:
• Deobfuscates embedded payloads and operational strings at runtime
• Dynamically loads fs, os, and execSync to evade static analysis
• Executes decoded shell commands
• Stages and copies payload files into OS temp and Windows ProgramData directories
• Deletes and renames artifacts post-execution to destroy forensic evidence
If you use axios, pin your version immediately and audit your lockfiles. Do not upgrade.