MAL-2026-5521

Dashboard / Malicious Package / MAL-2026-5521

MAL-2026-5521

Summary: Malicious code in @helpcentre/tesco-help (npm)

Details: Source: amazon-inspector (eb75510e87a08a5152331461c2b2b955ad21d418c8d2055f5f66ec15e22cf042) On `npm install`, the postinstall hook runs `node index.js`, which performs an HTTPS POST to `https://f1ackavab3.execute-api.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/` carrying the installer's hostname (`os.hostname()`) and current working directory (`process.cwd()`) as JSON. The package has no other functionality. The scoped name `@helpcentre/tesco-help` targets a Tesco-branded internal namespace, and the inflated `999.0.0` version is the canonical dependency-confusion technique used to override a private package of the same name when an installer's registry config falls back to public npm. Installers who resolve this package leak host-identifying reconnaissance data to an attacker-controlled API Gateway endpoint, enabling targeted follow-on attacks against the affected build environment. Source: ghsa-malware (fe1c5453171d5de5ea2a770adc6dcfff3f7ffa3f2fe9f5615ef3024bed8f0cbb) Any computer that has this package installed or running should be considered fully compromised. All secrets and keys stored on that computer should be rotated immediately from a different computer. The package should be removed, but as full control of the computer may have been given to an outside entity, there is no guarantee that removing the package will remove all malicious software resulting from installing it.

References: https://www.npmjs.com/package/@helpcentre/tesco-help/v/999.0.0, https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-5cff-qhhv-cxxw