A compromised version of the Nx Console extension for Visual Studio Code affected more than 2.2 million installations after being published to the Microsoft Visual Studio Code Marketplace, with attackers using the package to push credential-stealing malware to developers who opened a workspace.
KEY FACTS
- Package The affected extension was rwl.angular-console version 18.95.0.
- Scope The Open VSX version was not affected, according to the disclosure.
- Behavior The malware fetched an obfuscated payload, harvested secrets, and used HTTPS, the GitHub API, and DNS tunneling for exfiltration.
- Mitigation Users were told to update to version 18.100.0 or later and rotate exposed credentials.
A technical analysis from StepSecurity said the malicious code was loaded from an orphan commit hidden inside the official nrwl/nx GitHub repository and executed within seconds of a developer opening a workspace. The payload installed the Bun runtime, then launched an obfuscated script that ran in the background.
The report said the code checked for signs it was running in Russian or CIS time zones, then tried to collect credentials from 1Password vaults, Anthropic Claude Code configurations, npm, GitHub, and Amazon Web Services. It also described a Python backdoor on macOS that used the GitHub Search API as a dead drop for later commands.
In an official advisory from the maintainers, the root cause was linked to a developer machine that was previously compromised and had GitHub credentials exposed. The advisory said the credentials were temporarily revoked and that a few users were compromised in the incident.
The maintainers listed indicators of compromise including version 18.95.0 during the exposure window on May 18, 2026, and files such as cat.py and kitty-monitor.plist. They also advised affected users to stop the malicious processes, delete related files, and rotate credentials, secrets, and SSH keys.
WHY IT MATTERS
The case shows how a trusted developer tool can be turned into a delivery point for credential theft across software supply chains. It also raises the risk that stolen tokens and signing material could be used to publish malicious packages that appear legitimate to downstream users.