Axios npm Supply Chain Attack: North Korean RAT via AI Agent Auto-Install
Axios npm Supply Chain Attack: North Korean RAT via AI Agent Auto-Install is a critical-severity supply chain compromise issue in axios, a package. Affected: >=1.8.1 <1.8.3. Fixed in 1.8.3.
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Key facts
- ID
axios-npm-supply-chain-attack-north-korean-rat-via-ai-agent-auto-install- Severity
- critical
- Attack type
- Supply chain compromise
- Component
- axios · package
- Package
axiosnpm- Known exploited
- No known exploitation
- Published
- Last verified
What is this vulnerability?
UNC1069 (North Korea-nexus) compromised the Axios npm maintainer's credentials and published two backdoored releases containing a phantom dependency that dropped a cross-platform RAT on macOS, Windows, and Linux. The attack specifically exploited AI coding agents (Claude Code, Cursor, GitHub Copilot Workspace) which autonomously run npm install without human confirmation, creating an estimated 179-minute silent compromise window before detection.
Affected versions
| Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|
>=1.8.1 <1.8.3 | 1.8.3 |
Am I affected by this vulnerability?
You are affected if you run axios >=1.8.1 <1.8.3. Versions 1.8.3 and later include the fix.
How do I fix it?
Pin Axios to 1.8.0 or upgrade to 1.8.3+. Audit node_modules for the phantom dependency 'axiosproxy'. Block autonomous npm install in CI policies. Scan for RAT C2 indicators (see Microsoft blog for IOCs).