Malicious code in bazelisk (npm)
A malicious npm package named bazelisk, impersonating Google's legitimate bazelbuild/bazelisk project, was published with a postinstall script that exfiltrates system and environment information to an attacker-controlled server. The package exhibits dependency-confusion and typosquatting characteristics, collecting hostname, platform, architecture, Node version, and npm lifecycle event data.
- Disclosed
- Last updated
- Blast radius
- Any developer or CI/CD system that installed the malicious bazelisk npm package
- Ecosystems
- Attack vectors
- Affected entities
- bazeliskMalicious npm package impersonating Google's bazelbuild/bazelisk project
A malicious npm package named bazelisk was discovered that impersonates Google's legitimate bazelbuild/bazelisk project. The package self-labels as a 'Security research canary' and includes a postinstall script that executes automatically during npm install.
The postinstall script collects sensitive system and environment information from the installer's machine, including hostname, platform, architecture, Node version, package name, and npm lifecycle event. This data is exfiltrated via HTTP POST to https://grqx3qve.instances.poc.jchunt.top/bazelisk, a server unrelated to the real bazelisk publisher.
The attack pattern matches a dependency-confusion beacon, where installer host identifiers and environment fingerprints are automatically transmitted on installation. The malicious package was identified by Amazon Inspector and credited to the OpenSSF's malicious-packages project.
The incident was disclosed on 2026-08-19 via GitHub Security Advisory GHSA-ppxg-6h6r-xhwx.
Indicators of compromise
- Packages
- bazelisk
- Domains
- grqx3qve.instances.poc.jchunt.top
Remediation
- Immediately uninstall the malicious bazelisk npm package from all systems and CI/CD pipelines
- Audit npm install logs to identify any machines that installed the malicious package
- Review network logs for connections to grqx3qve.instances.poc.jchunt.top to identify potential data exfiltration
- Install the legitimate bazelisk package from @bazelbuild/bazelisk if bazel tooling is required
- Implement npm package verification and allowlisting policies to prevent dependency-confusion attacks
- Monitor for similar typosquatting attempts targeting other popular build tools
Sources
- GitHub Advisory GHSA-ppxg-6h6r-xhwx · GitHub Advisory Database
Cite this entry
"Malicious code in bazelisk (npm)." supplychainattack.org, Supply Chain Attack Incident Catalog. Disclosed August 19, 2026; last updated August 19, 2026. https://supplychainattack.org/incident/malicious-code-in-bazelisk-npm-19ysxr
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