Junglewise Threat Intelligence

Lightdash CLI supply chain compromise via axios malware

Severity: low · CVSS 3.1 · Published 2026-04-02

Technologies: Axios. Vendors: Axios, npm.

Executive brief

Lightdash CLI, a command-line tool for analytics and business intelligence, can resolve to compromised versions of the axios HTTP library that contain a remote access trojan (RAT). An attacker compromised the axios maintainer's npm account and published malicious versions (1.14.1 and 0.30.4) containing malware for approximately 3 hours on March 31, 2026. Users of Lightdash CLI versions 0.1800.0 through 0.2695.0 who installed without a pre-existing lockfile during this window may have installed the RAT, granting attackers shell access and full machine compromise.

Technical details

This is a supply chain attack exploiting npm package resolution. An attacker compromised the axios npm account and published malicious versions (1.14.1 and 0.30.4) containing an obfuscated postinstall script that pulls in a malicious transitive dependency (plain-crypto-js@4.2.1). Lightdash CLI specifies axios with a permissive semver range (^1.12.0), allowing resolution to the compromised versions. Users performing fresh installs of affected Lightdash CLI versions (0.1800.0–0.2695.0) between 2026-03-31T00:21 UTC and 03:29 UTC without a pre-existing lockfile were at risk. The injected RAT establishes persistence via platform-specific payloads (macOS: /Library/Caches/com.apple.act.mond, Windows: %PROGRAMDATA%\wt.exe, Linux: /tmp/ld.py) and connects to a command-and-control server (sfrclak.com/142.11.206.73:8000) to provide shell access, file enumeration, and arbitrary command execution. Lightdash 0.2695.1 patches the vulnerability by pinning axios to version 1.14.0.

Affected products

  • Lightdash @lightdash/cli >=0.1800.0, <0.2695.1
  • axios axios 1.14.1, 0.30.4

Timeline

  • 2026-03-31: other: Malicious axios versions 1.14.1 and 0.30.4 published to npm
  • 2026-03-31: exploited: Malicious versions live on npm for approximately 3 hours
  • 2026-03-31: disclosed: axios GitHub issue #10604 opened reporting compromise
  • 2026-03-31: other: Malicious versions removed from npm registry
  • 2026-03-31: advisory: GitHub advisory GHSA-fw8c-xr5c-95f9 published for axios malware
  • 2026-04-02: advisory: GHSA-3hfp-gqgh-xc5g published documenting impact on Lightdash CLI
  • 2026-04-02: patched: @lightdash/cli@0.2695.1 released with axios pinned to 1.14.0

References

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