Four compromised npm packages in the @asyncapi namespace were found distributing a sophisticated multi-stage botnet loader that executes malicious code immediately upon being imported into a project.

Key Points

• Affected packages include @asyncapi/generator-helpers, @asyncapi/generator-components, @asyncapi/generator, and @asyncapi/specs.
• The malware, identified as a variant of the Miasma framework, downloads an encrypted payload from IPFS when the module is loaded by Node.js.
• Attackers exploited a misconfigured GitHub Actions workflow to gain repository access and publish packages with legitimate SLSA provenance attestations.
• The malicious code features a dead man's switch and evasion techniques to avoid detection by security tools and sandbox environments.
• All five malicious package versions have been removed from the npm registry, though impacted systems should be treated as potentially compromised.

Why it Matters

This incident highlights a critical vulnerability in CI/CD pipelines where legitimate provenance attestations can mask malicious code injected through compromised repository workflows. Because the malware triggers upon module import rather than installation, standard security mitigations like ignoring install scripts are ineffective against this supply chain threat.