Axios npm Packages Compromised

THE THREAT

On March 31st, 2026, threat actors compromised the Axios npm (Node Package Manager) package, publishing two malicious versions, 1.14.1 and 0.30.4, to the npm registry. This supply chain attack resulted in the deployment of Remote Access Trojans (RATs) on affected systems.

Both malicious versions were removed from the registry within approximately three hours of publication. Organizations are advised to ensure that no systems are running the compromised package versions and to rotate all associated credentials if a compromise is suspected.

What we're doing about it

• Threat Hunts for known Indicators of Compromise (IoCs) are being conducted across eSentire MDR for Endpoint and Log
  • Impacted organizations are being notified by eSentire's SOC
• Known IoCs have been added to eSentire's Threat Intelligence Platform (TIP) and are available for Threat Feed subscribers
• Known malicious infrastructure has been added to eSentire's Global Block List available to eSentire MDR for Network customers
• The eSentire Threat Intelligence team is tracking this topic for additional information and detection opportunities

What you should do about it

• Check the lockfiles and dependencies for the presence of [email protected], [email protected], and [email protected] in, and remove them if identified
• Pin to secure versions of Axios npm package and commit lockfiles
• Ensure no suspicious dependencies are observed in the environment
• If possible, disable npm postinstall scripts in CI
• Rotate all credentials accessible on affected systems including npm tokens, AWS access keys, SSH private keys, CI/CD secrets, and environment variables
• Conduct a security audit of CI/CD pipelines and development environments
  • Remove any malicious packages and rebuild the project with clean dependencies both locally and on the CI/CD production server
• Follow OWASP npm Security Best Practices in the software development life cycle
• Integrate GitHub logs into MDR for Log for enhanced monitoring

Additional information

Security researchers determined that threat actors initially compromised the credentials of the lead Axios maintainer. Following this, the attackers published a malicious JSON dependency named "[email protected].", identified as the typosquatted version of the legitimate crypto-js library. On March 31st, the attackers then released two malicious versions of the Axios package, spaced 39 minutes apart. These versions were embedded with an updated malicious dependency, "[email protected]," which was published 18 hours after the earlier version.

This dependency executed a post-installation script as part of the package installation process, which launched a dropper. The dropper then communicated with a Command-and-Control (C2) server to retrieve a platform-specific Remote Access Trojan (RAT) for the affected systems. On Windows systems, a PowerShell-based RAT was deployed using a VBScript created by the dropper. On macOS systems, the dropper generated an AppleScript to download the RAT from the C2 server. For Linux systems, it executed a shell command to deploy a Python-based RAT on compromised hosts. After successfully deploying the RAT, the dropper was observed deleting itself and removing the malicious JSON package, replacing it with a clean version.

The nature of this supply chain attack underscores a high degree of planning, as evidenced by the pre-staging of the malicious dependency, which was injected into the Axios package without directly modifying the package itself. The attack further demonstrates sophistication through the deployment of a cross-platform Remote Access Trojan (RAT) and the implementation of anti-forensic techniques.

While several recent supply chain compromises have been attributed to the TeamPCP threat group, this incident does not exhibit similarities to them. At the time of writing, the threat actors responsible for the Axios npm compromise remain unidentified. Axios is a widely used HTTP client commonly implemented in frontend frameworks, backend services, and applications; it has approximately 100 million weekly downloads. Given Axios's large user base, the potential impact of this attack is expected to be significant.

Supply chain attacks targeting npm packages have become increasingly prevalent, with multiple incidents observed throughout 2025, including the notable Shai Hulud campaign. The eSentire Threat Intelligence team has consistently monitored and reported on such threats through security advisories, including those addressing the compromise of widely used npm packages in September 2025, as well as the first and second waves of the Shai Hulud campaign.

References:
[1] https://www.stepsecurity.io/blog/axios-compromised-on-npm-malicious-versions-drop-remote-access-trojan#indicators-of-compromise
[2] https://cheatsheetseries.owasp.org/cheatsheets/NPM_Security_Cheat_Sheet.html
[3] https://www.endorlabs.com/learn/npm-axios-compromise
[4] https://socket.dev/blog/axios-npm-package-compromised
[5] https://www.esentire.com/security-advisories/critical-npm-supply-chain-attack
[6] https://www.esentire.com/security-advisories/new-npm-supply-chain-attack-identified
[7] https://www.esentire.com/security-advisories/new-npm-supply-chain-attack-identified-second-wave-of-shai-hulud