According to Feross Aboukhadijeh, co-founder of security-oriented firm Socket Security, there is an active supply chain on Axios, which is one of npm’s most depended-on packages. NPM stands for Node Package Manager and is basically the world’s largest software registry, hosting more than two million packages of open-source JavaScript code. An argument can be made that it’s the backbone of modern Web3 development. According to Feross, the latest axios@1.14.1 is currently pulling in plain-crypto-just@4.2.1, which is a package that did not exist before today, suggesting that it’s a live compromise. This is textbook supply chain installer malware. Axios has 100M+ weekly downloads. Every npm install pulling the latest version is potentially compromised right now. Socket AI analyiss confirms this is malware. Plain-crypto-js is an obfuscated dropper/loadre.” The malicious software can perform a range of actions, including deleting and renaming artifacts post-execution to destroy forensic evidence, staging and copying payload files to the OS temp and Windows ProgramData directories, executing decoded shell commands, and more. CRITICAL: Active supply chain attack on axios — one of npm’s most depended-on packages. The latest axios@1.14.1 now pulls in plain-crypto-js@4.2.1, a package that did not exist before today. This is a live compromise. This is textbook supply chain installer malware. axios… — Feross (@feross) March 31, 2026 The expert recommends that developers who use axios immediately pin their versions and audit their lockfiles, while refraining from any updates for the time being. The post Expert Warns of Critical, Ongoing Supply Chain Attack on Axios appeared first on CryptoPotato .
