- https://www.stepsecurity.io/blog/axios-compromised-on-npm-malicious-versions-drop-remote-access-trojan
- axios/axios#10604
On March 31, 2026, StepSecurity identified two malicious versions of the widely used axios HTTP client library published to npm: axios@1.14.1 and axios@0.30.4
The malicious versions inject a new dependency, plain-crypto-js@4.2.1, which is never imported anywhere in the axios source code. Its sole purpose is to execute a postinstall script that acts as a cross platform remote access trojan (RAT) dropper, targeting macOS, Windows, and Linux. The dropper contacts a live command and control server and delivers platform specific second stage payloads. After execution, the malware deletes itself and replaces its own package.json with a clean version to evade forensic detection.
If you have installed axios@1.14.1 or axios@0.30.4, assume your system is compromised.