Malicious Code Vulnerability in cowsay-deluxe Package

cowsay-deluxe Updated 02 Feb 2026

Summary

02/02/2026
CRITICAL
No i
Critical
Not published

MAL-2026-632: Malicious code in cowsay-deluxe (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓

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Background

The cowsay-deluxe package is a popular npm package that generates ASCII art of a cow with a speech bubble containing a message. It is often used for fun in terminal applications and scripts. However, this package has been found to contain malicious code, which poses a significant risk to users who integrate it into their projects.

Vulnerability Detail

The vulnerability originates from the inclusion of malicious code within the cowsay-deluxe package. This code can potentially execute harmful actions on the user's system, leading to data breaches, unauthorized access, or other security incidents. The malicious code was identified by Amazon Inspector, highlighting the importance of scrutinizing third-party packages for security risks.

How To Fix

This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.

npm uninstall cowsay-deluxe

If it arrived as a transitive dependency, remove the package that pulled it in, then reinstall.

Tip — Not sure whether your app is affected? Vulert can check the versions your app actually runs. Scan free →

Workaround

As a temporary workaround, you can remove the cowsay-deluxe package from your project until a secure version is released. You can do this by executing the following command: npm uninstall cowsay-deluxe.

Conclusion

The cowsay-deluxe package has been identified as containing malicious code, posing a significant risk to users. It is essential to update or remove the package to protect your applications from potential threats. Regularly monitoring your dependencies for vulnerabilities is crucial for maintaining security.

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FAQ

Cowsay-deluxe is an npm package that generates ASCII art of a cow with a speech bubble, often used for fun in terminal applications.

The malicious code was discovered by Amazon Inspector, which monitors open-source packages for security vulnerabilities.

Using the cowsay-deluxe package with malicious code can lead to data breaches, unauthorized access, and other security incidents.

You can use Vulert, which monitors and alerts for open-source vulnerabilities in your software. By using the Vulert playground, you can check if your application is affected without any signup.

If you cannot update the package immediately, consider uninstalling it as a temporary measure to mitigate the risk.

How To Fix

This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.

npm uninstall cowsay-deluxe

If it arrived as a transitive dependency, remove the package that pulled it in, then reinstall.

Tip — Not sure whether your app is affected? Vulert can check the versions your app actually runs. Scan free →

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