Microsoft has attributed a large-scale supply chain attack that hijacked more than 140 npm packages of the AI agent framework "Mastra" to the North Korean state-sponsored group Sapphire Sleet (also known as BlueNoroff), with high confidence .
June 17, 2026 · Microsoft Threat Intelligence
North Korean hackers poisoned 140+ Mastra AI packages on npm
A hijacked maintainer account injected crypto-stealing infostealer malware into the popular AI agent framework — attributed with high confidence to state-sponsored actor Sapphire Sleet (BlueNoroff) , slipping into developer machines and CI/CD pipelines.
140+
Mastra packages compromised
1.1M+
Weekly ecosystem downloads at risk
166
Crypto wallet extensions targeted
88 min
To publish all 140+ packages
How the attack unfolded
1 · HIJACK
Maintainer account "ehindero" taken over
→
2 · TYPOSQUAT
Fake dep easy-day-js mimics dayjs; weaponized 1.11.22 resolves
→
3 · EXECUTE
postinstall hook runs obfuscated dropper on install
→
4 · STEAL
Cross-platform infostealer hunts crypto wallets , persists
No human in the loop: 140+ packages, 88 minutes
A 60-minute reference block beside the actual attack window shows just how compressed the operation was.
The weaponized version went live and all 140+ Mastra packages were pushed in roughly an hour and a half — automated, fast, and hard to catch in time.
Why researchers are alarmed
Instant infection via postinstall — no code import needed
Persistence disguised as legit NVM tooling
Same actor behind the April 2026 Axios compromise
A pattern of state-sponsored hits on AI/agentic toolchains
Recommended response
Delete node_modules and reinstall clean
Rotate credentials in affected environmentsPin versions of all dependenciesVerify dependencies via SBOM scanning
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