Malicious code in tubebrain (npm)
The npm package tubebrain contained malicious code that exfiltrated environment variables and GitHub API interactions to an attacker-controlled domain (transscendsurvival.org). The package was identified by OpenSSF and published as a GitHub advisory.
- Disclosed
- Last updated
- Blast radius
- All npm users who installed or loaded the malicious tubebrain package.
- Ecosystems
- Attack vectors
- Affected entities
- tubebrainnpm package containing malicious code in lib/bootstrap.js
The npm package tubebrain was found to contain malicious code in lib/bootstrap.js. The code included a hardcoded outbound channel to https://transscendsurvival.org, alongside calls to https://api.github.com and reads of process.env variables.
The malicious behavior follows a canonical credential and secret-exfiltration pattern: environment-variable reads paired with a hardcoded non-publisher destination. The transscendsurvival.org domain is not a documented vendor or publisher endpoint and matches the characteristics of an attacker-controlled command-and-control (C2) or data exfiltration host.
Installing or loading the package would route installer-side environment data and GitHub API interactions through this third-party attacker-controlled host, potentially exposing sensitive credentials and secrets.
The incident was identified and credited to the OpenSSF malicious-packages project and published as GitHub Advisory GHSA-2j5r-4jq7-7548.
Indicators of compromise
- Packages
- tubebrain
- Domains
- transscendsurvival.org
Remediation
- Immediately uninstall the tubebrain package from all environments
- Audit all systems where tubebrain was installed for signs of compromise or credential exposure
- Rotate any credentials or secrets that may have been exposed through environment variables
- Review GitHub API access logs for any unauthorized activity
- Check npm audit logs and dependency trees for any installations of tubebrain
- Update to a clean version if tubebrain is required, or identify a safe alternative package
Sources
- GitHub Advisory GHSA-2j5r-4jq7-7548 · GitHub Advisory Database
Cite this entry
"Malicious code in tubebrain (npm)." supplychainattack.org, Supply Chain Attack Incident Catalog. Disclosed July 27, 2026; last updated July 27, 2026. https://supplychainattack.org/incident/malicious-code-in-tubebrain-npm-dihiiq
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