Packagist Supply Chain Attack Infects 8 Packages Using GitHub-Hosted Linux Malware

Packagist Supply Chain Attack Infects 8 Packages Using GitHub-Hosted Linux Malware Ravie LakshmananMay 23, 2026Malware / DevSecOps A new "coordinated" supply chain attack campaign has impacted eight packages on Packagist including malicious code designed to run a Linux binary retrieved from a GitHub Releases URL. "Although the affected packages were all Composer packages, the malicious code was not added to composer.json," Socket said. "Instead, it was inserted into package.json, targeting projects that ship JavaScript build tooling alongside PHP code." This "cross-ecosystem placement" makes the activity stand out because developers and security teams scanning PHP dependencies may only focus on Composer-related metadata, while skipping package.json lifecycle hooks that are bundled within the package. The malicious versions have since been removed from Packagist. An analysis of the packages has uncovered that their upstream repositories have been modified to include a postinstall script that attempts to download a Linux binary from a GitHub Releases URL ("github[.]com/parikhpreyash4/systemd-network-helper-aa5c751f"), save it to the "/tmp/.sshd" folder, change its permissions using "chmod" to grant execute permissions to all users, and run it in the background. The names of the packages and the associated affected version are listed below - moritz-sauer-13/silverstripe-cms-theme (dev-master) crosiersource/crosierlib-base (dev-master) devdojo/wave (dev-main) devdojo/genesis (dev-main) katanaui/katana (dev-main) elitedevsquad/sidecar-laravel (3.x-dev) r2luna/brain (dev-main) baskarcm/tzi-chat-ui (dev-main) Socket's investigation has found references to the same payload across 777 files in GitHub, suggesting that it could be part of a broader campaign. In at least two instances, it was added to a GitHub workflow. However, it's currently not known how many of these match distinct compromises, forks, duplicate package artifacts, or cached references. "This suggests the attacker was not relying on a single execution mechanism. In package artifacts, the payload was triggered through package.json postinstall scripts," the application security firm said. "In workflow files, it was positioned to run during GitHub Actions jobs." What's more, the exact nature of the payload downloaded from GitHub is unclear, as the GitHub account associated with the repository hosting it is no longer available. The choice of the name "gvfsd-network" for the malware is interesting, as it refers to a GNOME Virtual File System (GVfs) daemon responsible for managing and browsing network shares. "Even without the second-stage binary, the malicious installer is enough to warrant blocking," Socket said. "It provides remote code execution during installation or build workflows and attempts to hide its activity by disabling TLS verification, suppressing errors, and running a downloaded binary in the background." Found this article interesting? Follow us on Google News, Twitter and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post. SHARE     Tweet Share Share SHARE  Composer, cybersecurity, DevSecOps, GitHub, linux, Malware, Open Source, Packagist, remote code execution, Supply Chain Attack ⚡ Top Stories This Week 18-Year-Old NGINX Rewrite Module Flaw Enables Unauthenticated RCE Mini Shai-Hulud Worm Compromises TanStack, Mistral AI, Guardrails AI and More Packages cPanel CVE-2026-41940 Under Active Exploitation to Deploy Filemanager Backdoor Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Controller Auth Bypass Actively Exploited to Gain Admin Access ⚡ Weekly Recap: Linux Rootkit, macOS Crypto Stealer, WebSocket Skimmers and More Four OpenClaw Flaws Enable Data Theft, Privilege Escalation, and Persistence Microsoft Patches 138 Vulnerabilities, Including DNS and Netlogon RCE Flaws New Fragnesia Linux Kernel LPE Grants Root Access via Page Cache Corruption New Exim BDAT Vulnerability Exposes GnuTLS Builds to Potential Code Execution Microsoft's MDASH AI System Finds 16 Windows Flaws Fixed in Patch Tuesday [Webinar] How Modern Attack Paths Cross Code, Pipelines, and Cloud ThreatsDay Bulletin: PAN-OS RCE, Mythos cURL Bug, AI Tokenizer Attacks, and 10+ Stories Windows Zero-Days Expose BitLocker Bypasses And CTFMON Privilege Escalation Ollama Out-of-Bounds Read Vulnerability Allows Remote Process Memory Leak Hackers Used AI to Develop First Known Zero-Day 2FA Bypass for Mass Exploitation On-Prem Microsoft Exchange Server CVE-2026-42897 Exploited via Crafted Email Load More ▼ ⭐ Featured Resources [eBook] Get the 3-Number SOC Diagnostic to Reduce Queue Risk [Guide] Stop Email Fraud Before It Turns Into Ransomware Damage Identify Internal Attack Surfaces More Efficiently With a Free Assessment [Webinar] Learn How to Handle Critical SOC Alerts With AI Support