The maintainers of the Nx build system have disclosed a major supply chain attack involving malicious npm packages. These compromised versions, including the main nx package and several plugins, were designed to scan systems, steal credentials, and upload them to GitHub repositories under the user's account.
The breach was traced to a vulnerable GitHub workflow introduced on August 21, 2025. Attackers exploited a pull request trigger with elevated permissions to inject code and hijack the npm publishing process. This allowed them to exfiltrate the npm token and release harmful package versions.
Once installed, the rogue packages executed a postinstall script that searched for sensitive files, modified terminal startup files, and attempted to shut down machines using a fake sudo prompt. The stolen data included GitHub tokens, cloud credentials, and AI API keys, affecting Linux and macOS systems.
Security researchers found over 2,300 leaked secrets, mostly GitHub OAuth tokens, along with credentials for services like AWS, OpenAI, Google AI, and PostgreSQL. The malware also abused AI command-line tools using risky flags to extract system contents.
GitHub has begun archiving the malicious repositories. Users are urged to rotate credentials, inspect .bashrc and .zshrc files, and stop using affected packages. The Nx team has taken steps to secure their publishing process, including enforcing two-factor authentication and auditing their systems.
This incident marks a new frontier in supply chain attacks, where AI developer tools were weaponized to bypass traditional security boundaries.
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