Critical Malicious Code Vulnerability in axios-cancelable Package
Summary
MAL-2025-191389: Malicious code in axios-cancelable (npm). Affects axios-cancelable versions 1.0.1 – 1.0.2. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The axios-cancelable package is a popular npm library that enhances the axios HTTP client by allowing requests to be canceled. It is widely used in JavaScript applications for making HTTP requests. However, this package has been compromised, leading to significant security concerns for developers using it.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability originates from a malicious payload introduced by the Sha1-Hulud: The Second Coming NPM worm. This worm steals sensitive tokens and credentials from users and publishes them to GitHub. It can also propagate itself to other NPM packages owned by the user and establish persistence through GitHub actions. Furthermore, the worm has the potential to destroy the user's home directory, posing a severe risk to data integrity and security.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall axios-cancelableIf it arrived as a transitive dependency, remove the package that pulled it in, then reinstall.
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Workaround
As a temporary workaround, consider removing the axios-cancelable package from your project until a secure version is released. You can do this by running: npm uninstall axios-cancelable.
Conclusion
The axios-cancelable package has been compromised by a malicious NPM worm, posing serious security risks to users. It is essential to update or remove the package to protect sensitive information and maintain application integrity. Utilizing tools like Vulert can help monitor for such vulnerabilities in real-time.
See every vulnerability recorded for axios-cancelable →
FAQ
axios-cancelable is an npm package that extends the axios HTTP client to allow for request cancellation, making it easier to manage HTTP requests in JavaScript applications.
You can check if your application is affected by using Vulert, which monitors and alerts for open-source vulnerabilities in real-time. Visit the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner to analyze your package-lock.json without any signup.
If you cannot update the package right away, consider removing it from your project as a temporary measure to prevent potential exploitation.
Using a compromised package can lead to unauthorized access to sensitive information, data loss, and potential exploitation of your application, which can harm your users and your reputation.
More information about this vulnerability can be found in the official security advisories and the GitHub repository for the axios-cancelable package.
