CVE-2026-48161
CriticalCVSS 9.3Summary
The react18-use library (a React 19 use hook shim) contained malicious commits in the default branch that executed remote attacker-controlled code on developer machines during `npm install`. The code fetched a JavaScript payload from an attacker-controlled HTTPS endpoint, disabled TLS verification, and evaluated it with `require` available. Execution was deliberately skipped on CI and cloud/serverless environments, targeting developer workstations.
Risk Assessment
Developer machines that ran `npm install` during the specified window may be fully compromised. Attackers could have accessed all data and credentials reachable from the Node process.
Recommendation
Treat any developer machine that ran `npm install` during the specified time window as compromised. Rotate all credentials, audit account activity, and clean local clones.
Original NVD description (English source)
react18-use is a React 19 use hook shim. Between 2026-05-19 01:07:01 and 2026-05-19 15:20:43, the default branch contained malicious commits 7b79148d1495a2505f9277da295a98cf176f4496 through 7b79148d1495a2505f9277da295a98cf176f4496 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 2026-05-19 01:07:01 should treat the machine as compromised, rotate every credential the machine could reach, audit account activity since 2026-05-19 01:07:01, and clean local clones.