Vulnerability · Published Sep 15, 2025 · Assigned by GitHub_M
CVE-2025-59141simple-swizzle@0.2.3 contains malware after npm account takeover
High 8.8
In plain English
A high-severity security flaw in node-simple-swizzle from Qix-. There are no confirmed reports of exploitation so far. The chance it is exploited in the next 30 days is estimated at 0.4% (higher than 35% of all known vulnerabilities). Fixed versions are available - upgrade the affected package.
Official description
simple-swizzle swizzles function arguments. On 8 September 2025, the npm publishing account for simple-swizzle was taken over after a phishing attack. Version 0.2.3 was published, functionally identical to the previous patch version, but with a malware payload added attempting to redirect cryptocurrency transactions to the attacker's own addresses from within browser environments. Local environments, server environments, command line applications, etc. are not affected. If the package was used in a browser context (e.g. a direct <script> inclusion, or via a bundling tool such as Babel, Rollup, Vite, Next.js, etc.) there is a chance the malware still exists and such bundles will need to be rebuilt. The malware seemingly only targets cryptocurrency transactions and wallets such as MetaMask. npm removed the offending package from the registry over the course of the day on 8 September, preventing further downloads from npm proper. On 13 September, the package owner published new patch versions to help cache-bust those using private registries who might still have the compromised version cached. Users should update to the latest patch version, completely remove their node_modules directory, clean their package manager's global cache, and rebuild any browser bundles from scratch. Those operating private registries or registry mirrors should purge the offending versions from any caches. This issue is resolved in 0.2.4.
Affected packages & fixed versions
| Ecosystem | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| npm | simple-swizzle | 0.2.4 | GHSA-9g9j-rggx-7fmg |
| npm | simple-swizzle | no fix listed | MAL-2025-46978 |
Affected products (as reported)
| Vendor | Product | Versions |
|---|---|---|
| Qix- | node-simple-swizzle | = 0.2.3 |
Weakness: CWE-506 · Vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:L/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:A/U:Red
References
- https://github.com/Qix-/node-simple-swizzle/security/advisories/GHSA-9g9j-rggx-7fmg x_refsource_CONFIRM
- https://github.com/debug-js/debug/issues/1005 x_refsource_MISC
- https://socket.dev/blog/npm-author-qix-compromised-in-major-supply-chain-attack x_refsource_MISC
- https://www.aikido.dev/blog/npm-debug-and-chalk-packages-compromised x_refsource_MISC
- https://www.ox.security/blog/npm-packages-compromised x_refsource_MISC