Which versions of power-assert-plus are malicious?

The following npm versions of power-assert-plus are flagged malicious: 1.2.2. Treat any of these as compromised.

How do I remediate power-assert-plus if I installed it?

power-assert-plus is a typosquat — you almost certainly intended a legitimately-named package. Remove power-assert-plus, install the correct package, and rotate any secrets exposed during the install since post-install scripts may have already run.

I already installed power-assert-plus — how do I know if it already compromised me?

If power-assert-plus 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.

Is power-assert-plus part of a known attack campaign?

Yes — power-assert-plus is associated with the IN-MAL-2026-017641 campaign. Packages in the same campaign often share infrastructure and payloads, so check whether any related packages are also in your dependency tree.

How do I find power-assert-plus across my projects, lockfiles, and CI pipelines?

Search your lockfiles and build artifacts for power-assert-plus (version 1.2.2).

Malicious package

power-assert-plusnpm

Advisory published Aug 13, 2026Updated Aug 13, 2026

power-assert-plus is a confirmed malicious npm package (MAL-2026-13958) that typosquats a legitimate package to trick installs (malicious version 1.2.2). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.

Malicious code in power-assert-plus (npm)

MAL-2026-13958

Immediate action

Remove the package, then rotate any secrets the build/runtime could reach.

npm uninstall power-assert-plus

What this malware does

power-assert-plus is a typosquat of power-assert. On every require(), index.js detach-spawns node build/power-assert-plus.js. That build file is obfuscator.io-encoded (string-array + custom base64 alphabet) and, after decoding, dynamically requires http/https, GETs a remote URL, and passes the response body to new Function('require', body)(require), executing attacker-controlled JavaScript with Node's require in the installer's process context. The README frames build/power-assert-plus.js as a browserify bundle of the library, but the shipped 4KB payload is a network loader with no assertion library code; the module name, host, and eval sink are all hidden behind the string-array decoder.

Malicious versions

1 flagged

1.2.2

Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)

ff97d4bae356db6a165ae845ee186c814f89bd1ee40e839d6da054965bfbd823

Detection & response playbook

Typosquat

Find it
Search your lockfiles and build artifacts for power-assert-plus (version 1.2.2).
If you installed it — respond
power-assert-plus is a typosquat — you almost certainly intended a legitimately-named package. Remove power-assert-plus, 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 power-assert-plus 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. power-assert-plus on npm has been identified as a malicious package (version 1.2.2 flagged). It should be removed immediately — do not install or keep it in your dependency tree.

Campaign

IN-MAL-2026-017641

References

npmjs.com

Credits

Amazon Inspector · finder

Detect & block this

O3 blocks power-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.

Malware detection Runtime egress monitoring

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