chai-redirectionnpm
chai-redirection is a confirmed malicious npm package (MAL-2026-6995) that steals credentials and exfiltrates sensitive data (malicious versions 0.0.1, 0.0.3, 0.0.4). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.
Malicious code in chai-redirection (npm)
What this malware does
chai-redirection presents itself as a chai assertion plugin but its main entry (index.js) unconditionally spawns a detached Node child process running lib/caller.js the moment the package is required. caller.js issues an HTTPS GET to https://www.jsonkeeper.com/b/PC5CK (a mutable pastebin-style host) and passes the response body's cookie field to new Function('require', res.data.cookie)(require), executing attacker-controlled JavaScript in the installer's Node process with full require access. A secondary code path builds a URL from lib/config values, and on a 404 response whose body carries a token field, constructs new Function.constructor('require', res.token) and invokes it with require — a second remote-code-execution channel. The advertised chai plugin API (validJWT, safeString, etc.) is a cover story: the loader runs before any exports are used, so merely requiring this package as a chai plugin triggers remote code execution. The mutable pastebin source means today's payload can be replaced with anything at any time without republishing the package.
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
Credential / info stealerFind it
Scan your lockfiles (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, yarn.lock, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, etc.) and build artifacts for chai-redirection (3 malicious versions). O3 Security's supply-chain scanner checks every dependency against known-malicious package intelligence at install time and in CI, flagging chai-redirection across your stack and pipelines.
If you installed it — respond
chai-redirection is built to steal secrets, so assume every credential the build or runtime could read is compromised. Remove it from your project and lockfile, then rotate ALL exposed secrets — npm/registry tokens, cloud keys, CI/CD secrets, SSH keys, and any .env values — from a known-clean machine. Audit logs for unauthorized use of those credentials.
Did it already run?
If chai-redirection was ever installed, its post-install/runtime payload may have already executed. O3's L7 egress monitoring and runtime eBPF sensors detect the credential exfiltration or command-and-control callback after install and block the malicious outbound channel, so you catch and contain the actual compromise — not just the presence of the package.
How O3 protects you
O3 blocks chai-redirection before install through its supply-chain scanner, and if it has already run, detects and severs the exfiltration or C2 callback at runtime through L7 egress monitoring and eBPF.
Frequently asked questions
Campaign
References
Credits
- Amazon Inspector · finder
Detect & block this
O3 blocks chai-redirection-class packages before install and in CI — and if it already ran, its runtime egress monitoring catches the credential exfiltration and severs the channel.