npm package report

Is cacheable-request safe?

Version 13.0.20 of cacheable-request was compromised; other versions are not flagged as malicious. CyberXYZ Proxy blocks the affected versions. It also has 1 known vulnerability, the worst rated HIGH.

Do not install cacheable-request 13.0.20

CRITICAL

Compromised releases. Added to CyberXYZ 2026-08-04, OSV malicious-package feed (Google / OpenSSF).

// what we observed

npm/cacheable-request version 13.0.20 is a trojanized release published on 2026-08-04 during the compromise of the npm/GitHub maintainer account behind the keyv and cacheable package families (user "Jaredwray"). Attackers pushed the malicious payload to the source repository and cut releases through GitHub Actions, so the poisoned versions reached npm with a valid, signed provenance attestation (provenance attests build integrity, not source integrity). Delivery is through the npm install lifecycle: the trojanized package.json adds a preinstall hook ("preinstall": "node setup.mjs") that runs before any project code on a bare npm install, while the normal compiled output is left intact so the package still works after install. setup.mjs downloads a standalone Bun runtime and uses it to run a second stage (shipped as Math_Symbol.js, a heavily obfuscated ~728 KB Bun bundle, referenced at runtime as math_init.js). The stealer harvests credentials from cloud instance metadata (AWS IMDS at 169.254.169.254, ECS at 169.254.170.2, GCP, Azure), AWS/GCP/Azure keys, HashiCorp Vault tokens, Kubernetes service-account tokens, GitHub Actions OIDC and org/repo secrets, and npm tokens, with a TruffleHog-style regex sweep for further secrets and private keys. Using the stolen npm identity (including npm OIDC trusted publishing) it enumerates and republishes further packages the token can reach — which, for a maintainer controlling both keyv and cacheable, gave the worm a large blast radius. Stolen findings are exfiltrated to attacker-created GitHub repositories (descriptions reading "Shai-Hulud: Here We Go Again") and to destinations resolved over DNS, and autostart hooks are planted in the repository's .claude/ and .vscode/ configuration to run the loader when a developer or AI coding agent opens a clone. Treat any environment that installed this version (with install scripts enabled) as fully compromised and rotate every reachable credential. Part of the August 2026 npm worm that poisoned 400+ packages across many organizations. This version of cacheable-request ships two files not present in the legitimate upstream package (jaredwray/cacheable-request): a heavily obfuscated setup.mjs and a 727KB obfuscated Math_Symbol.js bundle. package.json declares "preinstall": "node setup.mjs" and includes both files in the published tarball. On npm install, setup.mjs uses a rotated string array with an RC4-style XOR decoder to reconstruct URLs and API names, downloads the Bun runtime from github.com/oven-sh/bun releases matching the host platform (linux-x64, darwin-arm64, windows-x64, etc.), makes it executable (chmod on POSIX, PowerShell Expand-Archive with -ExecutionPolicy Bypass on Windows), and then invokes execFileSync on the freshly-downloaded Bun binary to run the bundled Math_Symbol.js payload (// @bun @bun-cjs header, char-code-array obfuscation reconstructed via String.fromCodePoint). The alternate-runtime pattern executes attacker-controlled bundled code outside Node's normal lifecycle visibility. The package name, README, LICENSE, dist/ contents, and author metadata are copied from the legitimate cacheable-request to maximize infection through name recognition; the real package has never shipped a preinstall hook, setup.mjs, Math_Symbol.js, or a Bun dependency. Any computer that has this package installed or running should be considered fully compromised. All secrets and keys stored on that computer should be rotated immediately from a different computer. The package should be removed, but as full control of the computer may have been given to an outside entity, there is no guarantee that removing the package will remove all malicious software resulting from installing it.

Reported by Amazon Inspector and GitHub Advisory Database via OSV.

// versions and what to do
Malicious
13.0.20
Move to
13.0.19 newest 13.x release, no known advisory

If one of these versions was installed, remove it and treat the credentials, tokens and SSH keys on that machine as exposed: rotate them. Check CI runners and container images that installed it too.

npm install cacheable-request@13.0.19

OSV recordreferencereferencereferencereferenceadvisoryreference

// reach

0 direct dependencies

none carry a known advisory

    5 packages depend on it

    an advisory here reaches each of them

    • got
    • got-cjs
    Create a free accountfor every dependency path, dependent and what to upgrade
    // ai model usage

    Tracked for PyPI packages. HuggingFace models declare Python dependencies, so npm packages are not covered.


    cvss
    7.5
    high

    CVSS v3.1 base score out of 10

    epss
    not scored

    chance of exploitation in 30 days

    xyz score
    4.2
    medium

    CyberXYZ composite out of 10

    fig. 01 — GHSA-8x6c-cv3v-vp6g, the advisory selected below

    // 1 advisories

    GHSA-8x6c-cv3v-vp6g

    HIGHGitHub rating

    cacheable-request depends on http-cache-semanttics, which contains an Inefficient Regular Expression Complexity in versions prior to 4.1.1 of that package.

    Full advisory text at GitHub advisory.

    // cvss v3.1 vector

    CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

    Attack vector
    Network
    Attack complexity
    Low
    Privileges required
    None
    User interaction
    None
    Scope
    Unchanged
    Confidentiality
    None
    Integrity
    None
    Availability
    High
    // questions
    Is cacheable-request safe to install?

    Version 13.0.20 of cacheable-request was compromised. Other versions are not flagged as malicious.

    Does cacheable-request have known vulnerabilities?

    Yes. CyberXYZ records 1 known vulnerability for cacheable-request (npm), the worst rated HIGH. They are GHSA-8x6c-cv3v-vp6g.

    Which version of cacheable-request should I use?

    Use 13.0.19 or a later release that is not named as malicious. Versions named on this report as malicious must not be installed.

    How do I check cacheable-request before installing?

    Search cacheable-request in CyberXYZ Check at https://cyberxyz.io/check?q=cacheable-request. The xyz Scanner checks a project's dependencies, and CyberXYZ Proxy checks each package as it is installed.


    Checked 2026-11-14 at 10:34 UTC. The most recent advisory here was published 2023-02-11. Updated continuously from NVD, GHSA, OSV and CNA feeds.

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