New Supply Chain Worm Targets npm and PyPI, Stealing Developer Credentials Cybersecurity researchers from Socket and StepSecurity have uncovered a self-propagating supply chain worm, dubbed CanisterSprawl, that exploits compromised npm packages to steal developer credentials and spread malicious updates. The campaign, active in recent weeks, leverages an ICP canister for data exfiltration a tactic previously used by TeamPCP to evade takedowns. ### Affected Packages The following npm packages were found to contain malicious postinstall hooks that trigger the worm during installation: - `@automagik/genie` (v4.260421.33–4.260421.40) - `@fairwords/loopback-connector-es` (v1.4.3–1.4.4) - `@fairwords/websocket` (v1.0.38–1.0.39) - `@openwebconcept/design-tokens` (v1.0.1–1.0.3) - `@openwebconcept/theme-owc` (v1.0.1–1.0.3) - `pgserve` (v1.1.11–1.1.14) ### Attack Mechanics Once executed, the malware harvests sensitive data from developer environments, including: - npm tokens (used to publish poisoned package versions) - SSH keys, `.git-credentials`, and `.netrc` files - Cloud credentials (AWS, Google Cloud, Azure) - Kubernetes, Docker, Terraform, and Vault configurations - Local `.env` files and shell history - Browser-stored credentials (Chromium-based browsers) - Cryptocurrency wallet extensions Stolen data is exfiltrated to: - An HTTPS webhook (`telemetry.api-monitor[.]com`) - An ICP canister (`cjn37-uyaaa-aaaac-qgnva-cai.raw.icp0[.]io`) The worm also includes PyPI propagation logic, generating malicious Python packages via Twine if credentials are present, effectively turning one compromised environment into multiple package infections. ### Additional Threats in Open-Source Ecosystems - Compromised PyPI Package: Versions 2.6.0–2.6.2 of the legitimate `xinference` package were altered to include a Base64-encoded payload, fetching a second-stage credential harvester. While the payload includes the marker "# hacked by teampcp," the group denied involvement, suggesting a copycat attack. - Fake Kubernetes Tools: Malicious npm (`kube-health-tools`) and PyPI (`kube-node-health`) packages disguised as Kubernetes utilities deploy a Go-based binary that sets up: - A SOCKS5 proxy - A reverse proxy - An SFTP server - An LLM proxy (routing requests to Chinese LLM APIs, enabling secret exfiltration and malicious payload injection). - Asurion-Themed npm Attack: Between April 1–8, 2026, threat actors published fake npm packages (`sbxapps`, `asurion-hub-web`, `soluto-home-web`, `asurion-core`) impersonating Asurion and its subsidiaries. Stolen credentials were first sent to a Slack webhook, then to an AWS API Gateway endpoint, later obfuscated with XOR encoding. - GitHub Actions Exploitation: A campaign dubbed prt-scan, active since March 11, 2026, abuses the `pull_request_target` GitHub Actions trigger to steal secrets. Attackers: - Fork repositories using the trigger - Inject malicious payloads into CI workflows - Open pull requests to trigger credential theft - Publish malicious npm packages if tokens are found While the campaign had a <10% success rate, most victims were small projects, though a few exposed cloud credentials and persistent API keys. ### Impact & Trends These incidents highlight the growing sophistication of supply chain attacks, with threat actors increasingly targeting npm, PyPI, and CI/CD pipelines to propagate malware. The use of resilient exfiltration methods (ICP canisters, obfuscated endpoints) and multi-stage credential theft underscores the need for heightened scrutiny in open-source dependency management.

Asurion suffered from a data breach incident which disclosed private info of 1000 employees and more than a million customers. The company confirmed the breach but said it believes the suspect took less information than he claimed. The hacker has more than 100 terabytes of Asurion's sensitive data including thousands of employee's social security numbers and banking information and over a million customer's names, addresses, phone numbers and account numbers. It was found that the corporation paid at least $300,000 in ransom to an extortionist who claimed he stole the private information.