Malicious code in wallet-hd-derive (RubyGems)

{
  "id": "2a5c1e1db028a799d8ea3698f79a3a16384831432a45c417f3725cecf4ab9e59",
  "url": "https://osv.dev/vulnerability/MAL-2026-17800",
  "method": "structured",
  "payload": {
    "kind": "advisory",
    "title": "Malicious code in wallet-hd-derive (RubyGems)",
    "summary": "--- _-= Per source details. Do not edit below this line.=-_ ## Source: amazon-inspector (fdfb31a6866dee961d55ad503da9de33a2cf743b52c80862e4380519ad5bef12) The gem is published as a crypto wallet utility but ships no native source; its gemspec declares extconf.rb as an extension so that `gem install` auto-executes it. extconf.rb decodes a base64-encoded Ruby payload and, after checking for sandbox and analysis signals (CI env, ephemeral hostnames, generated usernames matching patterns such as `uA\\d+`/sandbox/tester/analys/scanner, cwd under /tmp, /opt/rubygems, /workspace, low machine uptime) and confirming developer-identifying files (`~/.ssh`, `~/.gem/credentials`, etc.), double-forks a detached process via fork + Process.setsid, sleeps for 20–40 minutes, then opens a TCP connection to 45.138.12.177:8089 and pipes /bin/sh in both directions using TCPSocket and IO.popen/IO.copy_stream. The shipped library at lib/wallet_hd_derive.rb exposes only two no-op methods (`build_id='ok'`, `healthy?=true`) and the README is branded for an unrelated package (`bitcoin-rpc-lite`), confirming the gem exists solely as a delivery vehicle for the install-time backdoor. The destination IP, base64 encoding of the payload, sandbox-evasion gating, and delayed reverse-shell establishment give a remote operator interactive /bin/sh on any developer or CI host that installs the gem. ## Source: ossf-package-analysis (4630595f8934769aa5dc9e63f62e4552e3cb3663dc5f03e5def0deeb3a8476e1) The OpenSSF Package",
    "evidence": "osv:MAL-2026-17800",
    "products": [
      {
        "name": {
          "value": "wallet-hd-derive",
          "evidence": "/affected/0/package/name"
        },
        "prerequisites": [],
        "fixed_versions": [],
        "affected_versions": [
          {
            "value": "0.9.1",
            "evidence": "/affected/0/versions"
          }
        ]
      }
    ],
    "severity": "unknown",
    "structured": {
      "id": "MAL-2026-17800",
      "aliases": [
        "MAL-2026-17800"
      ],
      "affected": [
        {
          "package": {
            "name": "wallet-hd-derive",
            "purl": "pkg:gem/wallet-hd-derive",
            "ecosystem": "RubyGems"
          },
          "versions": [
            "0.9.1"
          ],
          "database_specific": {
            "cwes": [
              {
                "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/wallet-hd-derive/MAL-2026-17800.json",
            "indicators": {
              "evidence_files": [
                {
                  "path": "ext/wallet_hd_derive/extconf.rb",
                  "tlsh": "9751775acf8359e55aa1c0c045798012faa3ab0a50646875f3ee0868ff59b26c0f12fe",
                  "sha256": "10218e975f54a4f11fe3954e1b584a5f05054003bf5773c3c2b8cceaa74ba763"
                },
                {
                  "path": "metadata.yaml",
                  "tlsh": "0311dd80eb83f43af405d3db98412ba3b373d60cfea53910cae78292438446d6b53122",
                  "sha256": "639cb5f77c70768369244c0d5b86590757eb2974587d812c5eecd673758acb18"
                }
              ]
            }
          }
        }
      ],
      "modified": "2026-10-13T23:30:05.102980622Z",
      "provider": "osv",
      "references": [
        "https://rubygems.org/gems/wallet-hd-derive/versions/0.9.1"
      ],
      "provider_metadata": {
        "malicious-packages-origins": [
          {
            "id": "IN-MAL-2026-021363",
            "sha256": "fdfb31a6866dee961d55ad503da9de33a2cf743b52c80862e4380519ad5bef12",
            "source": "amazon-inspector",
            "versions": [
              "0.9.1"
            ],
            "import_time": "2026-10-11T14:17:59.436369913Z",
            "modified_time": "2026-10-11T13:47:58Z"
          },
          {
            "sha256": "4630595f8934769aa5dc9e63f62e4552e3cb3663dc5f03e5def0deeb3a8476e1",
            "source": "ossf-package-analysis",
            "versions": [
              "0.9.1"
            ],
            "import_time": "2026-10-13T23:14:40.241282564Z",
            "modified_time": "2026-10-11T07:05:31Z"
          }
        ]
      }
    },
    "related_cves": [],
    "security_relevant": true,
    "severity_evidence": null
  },
  "source_id": "core-osv",
  "document_id": 313746,
  "published_at": "2026-10-11T07:05:31+00:00"
}