Security Digest · Critical advisory (no CVE assigned)
GHSA-99j7-fhr2-xfj4: `exploration` was removed from crates.io for malicious code
A method within the exploration crate attempted to download and execute a payload from a remote site.
GitHub-reviewed · critical
Should you act?
- Malicious code, not a bug. If any listed version was ever installed, assume the machine and every secret on it are compromised: remove it, rotate credentials, rebuild.
- Only if you depend on one of the packages below, directly or transitively, in a vulnerable version. Check your lockfile with
cargo audit. - No CVE has been assigned, so it will not appear in CVE-based scanners that ignore GitHub advisories.
npm audit,pip-auditand Dependabot do read GitHub advisories.
Affected packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable | First fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| crates.io (Rust) | exploration | >= 0 | none listed |
Details
A method within the exploration crate attempted to download and execute a payload from a remote site.
The malicious crate had 1 version published on 2026-06-02, approximately 1 hour before removal, and had no evidence of actual usage. This crate had no dependencies on crates.io.
Rustsec to Kirill Boychenko from the Socket Threat Research Team for reporting this crate.
Sources and references
- GitHub Advisory GHSA-99j7-fhr2-xfj4 github.com
- rustsec.org rustsec.org
Critical crates.io (Rust) advisories · Today’s Security Digest