North Korea-Nexus Threat Actor Compromises Widely Used Axios NPM Package in Supply Chain Attack

Written by: Austin Larsen, Dima Lenz, Adrian Hernandez, Tyler McLellan, Christopher Gardner, Ashley Zaya, Michael Rudden

Introduction 

Google Threat Intelligence Group (GTIG) is tracking an active software supply chain attack targeting the popular Node Package Manager (NPM) package “axios.” Between March 31, 2026, 00:21 and 03:20 UTC, an attacker introduced a malicious dependency named “plain-crypto-js“ into axios NPM releases versions 1.14.1 and 0.30.4. Axios is the most popular JavaScript library used to simplify HTTP requests, and these packages typically have over 100 million and 83 million weekly downloads, respectively. This malicious dependency is an obfuscated dropper that deploys the WAVESHAPER.V2 backdoor across Windows, macOS, and Linux.

GTIG attributes this activity to UNC1069, a financially motivated North Korea-nexus threat actor active since at least 2018, based on the use of WAVESHAPER.V2, an updated version of WAVESHAPER previously used by this threat actor. Further, analysis of infrastructure artifacts used in this attack shows overlaps with infrastructure used by UNC1069 in past activities.

This blog details the attack lifecycle, from the initial account compromise to the deployment of operating system (OS)-specific payloads, and provides actionable guidance for defenders to identify and mitigate this threat.

Campaign Overview

On March 31, 2026, GTIG observed the introduction of plain-crypto-js version 4.2.1 as a dependency in the legitimate axios package version 1.14.1. Analysis indicates the maintainer account associated with the axios package was compromised, with the associated email address changed to an attacker-controlled account (ifstap@proton.me).

The threat actor used the postinstall hook within the “package.json" file of the malicious dependency to achieve silent execution. Upon installation of the compromised axios package, NPM automatically executes an obfuscated JavaScript dropper named “setup.js" in the background.

 "scripts": {
    "test": "echo \"Error: no test specified\" && exit 1",
    "postinstall": "node setup.js"

  }

Malware Analysis 

The plain-crypto-js package serves as a payload delivery vehicle. The core component, SILKBELL, setup.jsThis article has been indexed from Threat Intelligence