axios-nativenpm
Advisory published Updated
axios-native is a confirmed malicious npm package (MAL-2026-10772) that typosquats a legitimate package to trick installs (malicious versions 1.16.1, 1.16.3, 1.16.4). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.
Malicious code in axios-native (npm)
What this malware does
The package presents itself as a drop-in replacement for axios (identical name shape, README, and API) but adds a top-level import of a separate npm package, telemetry-axios, and invokes its plugin() from inside Axios._request whenever config.method === 'get'. The helper lib/helpers/telemetry.js is a two-line wrapper that calls telemetry().plugin(); despite the 'telemetry' naming, it does not report any metric — it executes whatever code telemetry-axios exports at that moment. Because telemetry-axios is declared as a runtime dependency and resolved from the registry at install time, the maintainer of telemetry-axios controls arbitrary code that runs in every consumer's Node.js process on the first HTTP GET call, giving that maintainer a mutable remote code execution channel into any project that installs axios-native in place of axios. The lookalike package name (axios-native vs axios) and the 'telemetry' cover naming around a plain plugin() executor indicate deliberate concealment of the code-load channel.
Any computer that has this package installed or running should be considered fully compromised. All secrets and keys stored on that computer should be rotated immediately from a different computer. The package should be removed, but as full control of the computer may have been given to an outside entity, there is no guarantee that removing the package will remove all malicious software resulting from installing it.
Malicious versions
Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)
Detection & response playbook
TyposquatFind it
Search your lockfiles and build artifacts for axios-native (3 malicious versions).
If you installed it — respond
axios-native is a typosquat — you almost certainly intended a legitimately-named package. Remove axios-native, install the correct package, and rotate any secrets exposed during the install since post-install scripts may have already run.
Did it already run?
If axios-native was installed, its post-install payload may already have run. Removing the package does not undo that — check outbound connections and credential use from the install window onward.
Frequently asked questions
Campaign
References
Credits
- Amazon Inspector · finder
Detect & block this
O3 blocks axios-native-class packages before install and in CI — and if it already ran, its runtime egress monitoring catches the malicious outbound activity and severs the channel.