Malicious code in @united-airlines-org/atmos-design-system (npm)
The npm package @united-airlines-org/atmos-design-system contains a malicious preinstall script that exfiltrates host reconnaissance data (hostname, directory listing, username) to an attacker-controlled endpoint. The package uses a scope name resembling an internal United Airlines organization, matching a dependency-confusion attack pattern.
- Disclosed
- Last updated
- Blast radius
- All versions of @united-airlines-org/atmos-design-system; any developer or CI/CD system installing this package
- Ecosystems
- Attack vectors
- Affected entities
- @united-airlines-org/atmos-design-system · 41.0.0All versions contain malicious preinstall script
The package @united-airlines-org/atmos-design-system published to npm contains no functional library code, only a malicious preinstall script in package.json. The script executes automatically during npm install and uses curl to send reconnaissance data to the attacker-controlled endpoint https://bxss.boll-sec.de/callb.
The exfiltrated data includes the installer's hostname (via uname -n), working-directory listing (via ls), and username (via whoami), all base64-encoded and sent as query parameters. This reconnaissance data is sent to a non-first-party external host without the installer's knowledge or consent.
The scoped package name (@united-airlines-org) resembles an internal United Airlines organization namespace, suggesting this is a dependency-confusion attack in which an attacker publishes a malicious public package with a name matching an internal private package, causing resolution to pull the attacker's artifact instead.
All versions of the package are malicious. The incident was identified and credited to the OpenSSF malicious-packages project.
Indicators of compromise
- Packages
- @united-airlines-org/atmos-design-system
- Domains
- bxss.boll-sec.de
Remediation
- Immediately remove @united-airlines-org/atmos-design-system from all package.json files and lock files
- Audit npm install logs and CI/CD logs for any installations of this package
- Assume any system that installed this package has been compromised; review for unauthorized access and data exfiltration
- Implement npm package scope verification and private registry configuration to prevent dependency-confusion attacks
- Monitor for similar scoped packages that mimic internal organization names
- Review npm audit and supply-chain security tools to detect malicious packages before installation
Sources
- GitHub Advisory GHSA-9gxh-qrf3-h8h2 · GitHub Advisory Database
Cite this entry
"Malicious code in @united-airlines-org/atmos-design-system (npm)." supplychainattack.org, Supply Chain Attack Incident Catalog. Disclosed August 7, 2026; last updated August 7, 2026. https://supplychainattack.org/incident/malicious-code-in-united-airlines-org-atmos-design-system-npm-36wwcx
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