A new supply chain attack targeting the Node Package Manager (npm) ecosystem has emerged, stealing developer credentials and spreading through compromised accounts. This attack, discovered by researchers at Socket and StepSecurity, targets high-value endpoints in AI agent tooling and database operations. The injected malicious code collects sensitive data, including tokens, API keys, SSH keys, cloud service credentials, and cryptocurrency wallets. What makes this attack particularly insidious is its worm-like function, enabling it to spread quickly and recursively through affected packages. The malicious script identifies packages with publish tokens and republishes them with an increased version number, further propagating the compromise. This multi-ecosystem attack also targets Python packages using a .pth-based payload. Developers are urged to treat all listed package versions as malicious and remove them from systems and CI/CD pipelines. Socket and StepSecurity provide indicators of compromise and recommended actions to help defenders identify and mitigate this threat. The attack highlights the ongoing challenges in securing software supply chains and the need for proactive security measures to protect against sophisticated threats.
