You are a skilled Web3 developer. One day, a message appeared on a social platform—an apparently large company is hiring. The position is attractive, the benefits unbeatable, and they even quickly sent over a zip file, claiming it to be the "codebase for the interview test."

You didn't think much and simply ran npm install.

In that one second, you were "infected." Your login credentials, browser data, and the private key of your encrypted wallet holding assets were all packaged and sent to a server in a dark corner. Losing the job opportunity is minor; the real trouble is—you've become someone else's automatic teller machine.

This trick is called "Contagious Interview," sounding like science fiction, but it's happening in reality. Recent reports from security research teams show that over 300 malicious packages have been uploaded to npm—the central hub providing code building blocks for millions of developers worldwide.

The mastermind behind this points to a hacker organization from a specific country. A nation often overlooked on the international stage, yet possessing top-tier cyber warfare capabilities. The contrast is indeed intriguing.

Why has npm become a major hotspot? Simply put, it's like an open, massive library—any developer can upload packages, and programmers around the world can pull and use them. Convenience and risk often go hand in hand. When hackers exploit this mechanism by packaging and uploading "building blocks" with malicious code, downloaders are defenseless. Especially those developers eager to solve problems quickly and lacking time to review code line by line are more susceptible.