js-assert-plusnpm
js-assert-plus is a confirmed malicious npm package (MAL-2026-13953) that executes malicious code on install (malicious version 1.0.0). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.
Malicious code in js-assert-plus (npm)
What this malware does
The npm package js-assert-plus masquerades as an assertion library (homepage http://js-assert-plus.com) and bundles the real chai source so consumers get working functionality while a loader runs on every require/import. index.js hex-decodes the strings 'child_process' and 'spawn' and spawns a detached node subprocess running lib/chai/utils/assertion.js. That sibling module is packed with obfuscator.io string-array obfuscation (rotated array _0x1b90, base64+decodeURIComponent decoder) that reconstructs a URL at runtime, performs an https GET, and passes the response body to new Function('require', body)(require) — executing attacker-controlled JavaScript on the installer's machine with require in scope. Both the require of child_process and the network destination are hidden behind runtime string reconstruction so static inspection cannot see the endpoint.
Malicious versions
Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)
Detection & response playbook
Malicious packageFind it
Scan your lockfiles (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, yarn.lock, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, etc.) and build artifacts for js-assert-plus (version 1.0.0). O3 Security's supply-chain scanner checks every dependency against known-malicious package intelligence at install time and in CI, flagging js-assert-plus across your stack and pipelines.
If you installed it — respond
Remove js-assert-plus from your project and lockfile, then assume any secrets accessible to the build or runtime were exposed: rotate API keys, tokens, and credentials, and audit for unexpected outbound activity or persistence.
Did it already run?
If js-assert-plus 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 js-assert-plus 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 js-assert-plus-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.