Description

Axios supply chain attack - dependency in @lightdash/cli may resolve to compromised axios versions

Impact

A supply chain attack on the axios npm package (versions 1.14.1 and 0.30.4) introduced a malicious transitive dependency ([email protected]) that deploys a cross-platform remote access trojan (RAT) on macOS, Windows, and Linux. The attacker compromised the primary axios maintainer's npm account to publish the malicious versions.

The malicious versions were live on npm for approximately 3 hours (00:21 UTC to 03:29 UTC on March 31, 2026) before being removed.

The @lightdash/cli package specified axios as a dependency with a semver range (^1.12.0) that permitted resolution to the compromised version. Any user who performed a fresh install of @lightdash/cli versions >= 0.1800.0, < 0.2695.1 (without a pre-existing lockfile) during this window may have installed the malicious axios version.

If compromised, the RAT establishes a connection to a command-and-control server (sfrclak[.]com / 142.11.206.73:8000) and provides the attacker with shell access, file system enumeration, and the ability to execute arbitrary commands. All credentials, secrets, and tokens accessible from the affected machine should be considered compromised.

Lightdash Cloud is not affected.

Patches

This has been patched in @lightdash/[email protected]. The fix pins axios to a known safe version (1.14.0).

Users should upgrade immediately:

npm install -g @lightdash/[email protected]

If users had installed the compromised version, they should check for RAT artifacts before and after upgrading:

macOS: /Library/Caches/com.apple.act.mond

Windows: %PROGRAMDATA%\wt.exe

Linux: /tmp/ld.py

If any artifacts are found, assume full compromise of that machine and rotate all accessible credentials (warehouse credentials, API tokens, SSH keys, cloud provider credentials, environment variables).

Workarounds

If users cannot upgrade immediately, they can force a safe axios resolution after installing the CLI:

npm install -g [email protected] --force

Alternatively, if users are building a Docker image or using a lockfile, they should ensure their resolved axios version is not 1.14.1 or 0.30.4:

npm ls axios

Block egress traffic to sfrclak[.]com and 142.11.206.73 at the network level to prevent the RAT from reaching its command-and-control server.

Resources

Upstream axios issue: https://github.com/axios/axios/issues/10604

StepSecurity analysis: https://www.stepsecurity.io/blog/axios-compromised-on-npm-malicious-versions-drop-remote-access-trojan

Socket analysis: https://socket.dev/blog/axios-npm-package-compromised

Snyk advisory (axios): https://security.snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JS-AXIOS-15850650

Snyk advisory (plain-crypto-js): https://security.snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JS-PLAINCRYPTOJS-15850652

The Hacker News coverage: https://thehackernews.com/2026/03/axios-supply-chain-attack-pushes-cross.html

Mitigation

Aliases

References