Malicious code in throttle-requests (RubyGems)
RubyGems runs this gem's native extension script `ext/req_throttle_mini/extconf.rb` during `gem install`. The script exits without action on CI runners and sandboxes, based on CI environment variables, the hostname, the username and the working directory. It continues if the system uptime is over 30 minutes and the home directory holds `.ssh`, `.gitconfig`, `.npmrc`, `.gem/credentials` or `.bundle`. It then decodes a Base64 Ruby payload, forks twice into a detached process, waits 20 to 40 minutes and opens a reverse shell that connects `/bin/sh` to 45.138.12.177 on TCP port 8090. The shell reconnects every 30 seconds. The Ruby code in `lib/` is a decoy. The RubyGems account `reqthrottle_3474` published this gem and 41 others with the same loader on 2026-10-05. --- _-= Per source details. Do not edit below this line.=-_ ## Source: amazon-inspector (ff1a325fc41cbb1dd7c949031e75946ce0f5f522bae7f63371dcc2c93589ec5d) The gem's native-extension build script extconf.rb base64-decodes an embedded Ruby payload, writes it to a random path in the temporary directory, and spawns it in the background before running the normal mkmf build. The decoded payload opens a TCP socket to the hardcoded host 45.138.12.177 on port 8090 and bridges that socket to /bin/sh via IO.popen in a persistent loop, granting the remote host interactive shell access on the installer's machine during `gem install`. The payload destination and shell-exec behavior are hidden inside a base64 literal decoded only at i
MAL-2026-17570
Primary source · Revision 1
Imported from structured advisory data. Source references identify upstream records or fields; verify affected versions and your deployed configuration.
Security context
Source reference: osv:MAL-2026-17570
throttle-requests
Source reference: /affected/0/package/name
- Affected versions
- 1.0.0
Source reference:
/affected/0/versions1.0.1Source reference:
/affected/0/versions - Fixed versions
- Not stated in this record
- Prerequisites
- Not stated in this record
Structured affected-version data
Original package identities and version rules from this source.
[
{
"ranges": [
{
"type": "ECOSYSTEM",
"events": [
{
"introduced": "0"
}
]
}
],
"package": {
"name": "throttle-requests",
"purl": "pkg:gem/throttle-requests",
"ecosystem": "RubyGems"
},
"versions": [
"1.0.0",
"1.0.1"
],
"database_specific": {
"cwes": [
{
"name": "Embedded Malicious Code",
"cweId": "CWE-506",
"description": "The product contains code that appears to be malicious in nature."
},
{
"name": "Embedded Malicious Code",
"cweId": "CWE-506",
"description": "The product contains code that appears to be malicious in nature."
}
],
"source": "https://github.com/ossf/malicious-packages/blob/main/osv/malicious/rubygems/throttle-requests/MAL-2026-17570.json",
"indicators": {
"evidence_files": [
{
"path": "ext/req_throttle_mini/extconf.rb",
"tlsh": "390170a307c3290e13c186ed2b7d41508caaceca532115774281c0f5c28c9b9cf27cb3",
"sha256": "f9b62128eb301a8f8c1ea3212c0d16f95f37dcbee1f59dab1bc0b03c5b9b66e9"
}
]
}
}
}
]Publisher severity
No explicit severity was provided.
- Event
- #85927 · Revision 1
- Added to Heist Feed
- Publisher date