Raw vector
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:XSummary
CVE-2026-48161 is a critical-severity Embedded Malicious Code (CWE-506) vulnerability. Its CVSS base score is 9.3 (Critical).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Embedded Payloads (T1027.009); ranked at the 35th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to SA-11 (Developer Testing and Evaluation) and SC-44 (Detonation Chambers) — see the control section below for these in your framework.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2026-55848
Vulnerability Data
react18-use is a React 19 use hook shim. Between 2026-05-19 01:07:01 and 2026-05-19 15:20:43, the default branch contained malicious commits 7b79148d1495a2505f9277da295a98cf176f4496 through 7b79148d1495a2505f9277da295a98cf176f4496 that executed remote attacker-controlled code on developer machines during `npm install`. The commits were removed by force-push,…
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but local clones, forks, and direct-SHA URLs may still contain them, and `npm install` against an affected checkout will still execute the code today. The package was not published to npm. `src/install.js` was added and wired into the `postinstall` script. It fetched a JavaScript payload from an attacker-controlled HTTPS endpoint (configurable via an environment variable), disabled TLS verification, and evaluated the response as code with `require` available. Execution was deliberately skipped on CI and cloud/serverless environments, targeting developer workstations. The second-stage payload was attacker-hosted and cannot be reconstructed. Assume full compromise of anything reachable from a Node process with the user's permissions. Those who ran `npm install` against an affected checkout on a developer machine on or after 2026-05-19 01:07:01 should treat the machine as compromised, rotate every credential the machine could reach, audit account activity since 2026-05-19 01:07:01, and clean local clones.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
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- 3 hardening rules · 2 OS baselines
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Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Developer testing and evaluation can discover embedded malicious code before release.
Detonation chambers can reveal embedded malicious code through controlled execution analysis.
Integrity verification tools directly detect unauthorized or malicious code insertions.
Tamper-resistance and detection mechanisms identify malicious code introduced via the supply chain.
Component authenticity requirements reduce the chance malicious code is embedded by developers or suppliers.
Component authenticity controls stop introduction of malicious or counterfeit code into the product.
Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Assessing authenticity and integrity before acquisition catches embedded malicious code.
Secure SDLC practices directly prevent introduction of malicious code during development.
Due diligence prior to supplier relationships helps avoid sources of embedded malicious code.
Supplier risk assessment reduces likelihood of receiving products containing malicious code.
Pre-acquisition assessment of critical suppliers mitigates risk of malicious code in procured software.
Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Requiring suppliers to furnish component lists, attestations, and cryptographic verification of delivered artefacts makes it harder for an attacker to embed hidden malicious code that would otherwise go undetected through the supply chain.
Checks that executed code has not been tampered with and monitoring for malware-associated activity reduce the likelihood that hidden malicious code remains active.
Banning unapproved or unknown software and requiring testing plus authorization reduces the chance that hidden malicious code will be introduced into production environments.
Hardening callouts derived
Configuration rules from DISA STIG baselines that bear on weaknesses of the type cited by this CVE. Each rule is shown with the relationship its mapping actually records, against the CWE it was authored against. Derived via CVE→CWE over `controls_xwalks` (authoritative rows only; rows rated `none` are excluded).
Oracle Linux 9 (1 rule)
- V-271452 OL 9 must use a Linux Security Module configured to enforce limits on system services. prevents CWE-506
RHEL 9 (1 rule)
- V-258078 RHEL 9 must use a Linux Security Module configured to enforce limits on system services. prevents CWE-506