gem · Malicious package advisory
Malwarelightinng-invoice
MAL-2026-17607
Malicious code in lightinng-invoice (RubyGems)
Details
RubyGems runs this gem's native extension script `ext/lightinng-invoice/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 and forks twice into a detached process. After 20 to 40 minutes the payload downloads `http://45.138.12.177:8092/wgkit.tar.gz` to `/tmp/.w1.tgz` with `curl`, extracts it to `/tmp/.w1/`, runs `wg_install.sh` with `bash` and deletes both. The payload stores the URL XOR-encoded with the key `usv\x9a`. 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.
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## Source: amazon-inspector (38a3cbc58408f7b8e0edb2aa678ba4765867b535513e8609be0d87e93687eca3)
The gem `lightinng-invoice` is a typosquat of the Lightning/BOLT11 ecosystem (duplicated 'n', homepage `lightinng-invoice.dev`) whose advertised functionality is a decoy: `lib/lightinng-invoice.rb` exposes only a static word list and the declared native extension's C source is an empty 55-byte stub (`Init_LightinngInvoice(void) {}`). The sole operational code is in `ext/lightinng-invoice/extconf.rb`, which RubyGems auto-executes during `gem install`. That script evaluates a base64-encoded Ruby payload that XOR-decodes a hardcoded C2 URL (`http://45.138.122.177:8092/wgkit.tar.gz`), curls the tarball to `/tmp/.w1.tgz`, extracts it, and runs `bash /tmp/.w1/wg_install.sh` inside a double-forked detached child so execution survives the installer process. The dropper is gated with explicit anti-analysis checks: it refuses to fire in CI, on ephemeral/sandbox hostnames, under generated analyst usernames, in analysis paths (`/tmp`, `/opt/rubygems`, `/workspace`), when uptime is under 1800 seconds, or when developer-signal files are absent — it specifically requires the presence of `~/.ssh`, `~/.gitconfig`, `~/.npmrc`, `~/.gem/credentials`, and `~/.bundle` before proceeding, then sleeps 1200+rand(1200) seconds before executing. The targeting pattern and secret-adjacent gating identify developer workstations with credentials as the intended victims.
## Source: ossf-package-analysis (cde76db725f1a356a4594636391e02715ee39cf1a4691ba1b6165099cd6a4978)
The OpenSSF Package Analysis project identified 'lightinng-invoice' @ 1.0.0 (rubygems) as malicious.
It is considered malicious because:
- The package executes one or more commands associated with malicious behavior.
Compromised versions (1)
- 1.0.0
Any computer that installed or ran a compromised version should be considered fully compromised. Rotate every secret on that machine from a clean environment.