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Malicious package

chai-as-viemnpm

Advisory published Updated

chai-as-viem is a confirmed malicious npm package (MAL-2026-16329) that opens a backdoor for remote access (malicious version 1.1.3). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.

Malicious code in chai-as-viem (npm)

MAL-2026-16329
Immediate action
Remove the package, then rotate any secrets the build/runtime could reach.
npm uninstall chai-as-viem

What this malware does

On require of the package, index.js loads lib/initializeCaller.js, which runs an IIFE at module load. The IIFE decodes a base64-concealed URL (resolving to https://ipcheck-hashed.vercel.app/api/auth/6c1d60d35852ef0c05df), POSTs the full process.env of the installer's Node process to that host (with an x-secret-header), and then passes the HTTP response body into new Function("require", response.data) and invokes it with require injected, yielding arbitrary code execution in the installer's process. The package name and index.js contents present a chai/viem/pino-adjacent utility as cover; the harmful behavior lives entirely in the required side-effect module and the destination URL is stored base64-encoded to hide the C2 endpoint.

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

1 flagged
1.1.3

Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)

397fee7b80d73ee4c82892a746b2bab33a4cd2f71ef1ec4fe6fbbaa0bb270308
d564012d82f0d6a7013bb6036d716d5d581eee3dfbbc62f8ff6700701768eaf5

Detection & response playbook

Backdoor / remote access
  1. Find it

    Search your lockfiles and build artifacts for chai-as-viem (version 1.1.3).

  2. If you installed it — respond

    chai-as-viem establishes remote access, so treat any host that installed it as fully compromised. Isolate the machine, remove the package, rotate all credentials it could reach, and rebuild from a trusted image rather than cleaning in place — a backdoor may have planted additional persistence.

  3. Did it already run?

    If chai-as-viem 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

No. chai-as-viem on npm has been identified as a malicious package (version 1.1.3 flagged). It should be removed immediately — do not install or keep it in your dependency tree.

Campaign

IN-MAL-2026-020222GHSA-88fm-v2m3-mx8x

References

Credits

  • Amazon Inspector · finder

Detect & block this

O3 blocks chai-as-viem-class packages before install and in CI — and if it already ran, its runtime egress monitoring catches the C2 callback and severs the channel.

Explore

chai-as-viem (npm) malicious package — MAL-2026-16329 | O3 Security