CVE-2026-48160

Received Received - Intake

Code Execution in react-tracked via Malicious Postinstall Script

Publication date: 2026-08-10

Last updated on: 2026-08-10

Assigner: GitHub, Inc.

Description

react-tracked provides state usage tracking with Proxies. Between 2026-05-18 19:26:36 and 2026-05-19 15:22:45, the default branch contained malicious commits 6978272a7d6ca02225cb747ea69f427512e33699 through 949f1a3d6bb1ff7d1a0dec892afd773e742627e8 that executed remote attacker-controlled code on developer machines during `npm install`. The commits were removed by force-push, but local clones, forks, and direct-SHA URLs may still contain them, and `npm install` against an affected checkout will still execute the code today. The package was not published to npm. `src/install.js` was added and wired into the `postinstall` script. It fetched a JavaScript payload from an attacker-controlled HTTPS endpoint (configurable via an environment variable), disabled TLS verification, and evaluated the response as code with `require` available. Execution was deliberately skipped on CI and cloud/serverless environments, targeting developer workstations. The second-stage payload was attacker-hosted and cannot be reconstructed. Assume full compromise of anything reachable from a Node process with the user's permissions. Those who ran `npm install` against an affected checkout on a developer machine on or after 2026-05-18 19:26:36 should treat the machine as compromised, rotate every credential the machine could reach, audit account activity** since 2026-05-18 19:26:36, and clean local clones.

CVSS Scores

EPSS Scores

Probability:
Percentile:

Meta Information

Published

2026-08-10

Last Modified

2026-08-10

Generated

2026-08-11

AI Q&A

2026-08-11

EPSS Evaluated

N/A

NVD

CVE-2026-48160

Affected Vendors & Products

Currently, no data is known.

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE

KEV

CWE ID	Description
CWE-506	The product contains code that appears to be malicious in nature.

Attack-Flow Graph

Executive Summary

This vulnerability involves malicious commits in the react-tracked package that executed remote attacker-controlled code during npm install on developer machines. The attacker added a script that fetched and executed JavaScript payloads from an attacker-controlled server, targeting developer workstations while avoiding CI environments.

Detection Guidance

Check for the presence of src/install.js in react-tracked project directories. Look for suspicious postinstall scripts in package.json files. Inspect npm install logs for unexpected network requests to attacker-controlled endpoints. Verify if any JavaScript payloads were fetched from external HTTPS sources during installation.

Impact Analysis

If you installed react-tracked from an affected checkout between 2026-05-18 19:26:36 and 2026-05-19 15:22:45, your machine may be compromised. Attackers could gain full access to anything reachable from your Node process, including credentials and sensitive data. You should rotate all credentials, audit account activity since the compromise date, and clean local clones.

Mitigation Strategies

Immediately stop using any local clones or forks of react-tracked created between 2026-05-18 19:26:36 and 2026-05-19 15:22:45. Rotate all credentials the affected machine could access. Audit account activity since 2026-05-18 19:26:36. Clean and reinstall the project from a trusted source. Assume full system compromise if npm install was run on a developer machine during the affected timeframe.

Hi! I’m here to help you understand CVE-2026-48160. Ask me anything about the vulnerability, its impact, or mitigation strategies.

0/70