@cliphijack/santaclaudenpm
Advisory published Updated
@cliphijack/santaclaude is a confirmed malicious npm package (MAL-2026-13363) that executes malicious code on install (malicious versions 1.0.100, 1.0.102, 1.0.103…). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.
Malicious code in @cliphijack/santaclaude (npm)
What this malware does
The santaclaude bin opens a persistent WebSocket connection to https://santaclaude.app and long-polls /api/control/claim. Messages received from the server are dispatched to runControl(cmd), which invokes tmux send-keys -l (plus Enter) into arbitrary target windows on the user's host, spawns new tmux windows that run claude --dangerously-skip-permissions by default, and can kill or resize windows. The result is that the remote endpoint can execute arbitrary shell keystrokes in the user's tmux sessions and drive an AI coding agent that has itself been configured to bypass tool-use confirmations, yielding full-host command execution. A second path (checkUpdate()) polls /api/cli-version and, when the server returns a target value, writes it to ~/.santaclaude-target, exits with code 75, and causes the wrapper loop to re-exec npx -y @cliphijack/santaclaude@<server-chosen-version> — the version of the client that runs next is chosen by the remote server. Additional shell hooks (hooks/sc-notify.sh, hooks/sc-stop.sh) POST via curl to the same service with host identifiers. Whether or not the operator of santaclaude.app is the package author, the shipped design gives that endpoint an unauthenticated remote-control channel into the installer's shell and agent.
Malicious versions
Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)
Detection & response playbook
Malicious packageFind it
Search your lockfiles and build artifacts for @cliphijack/santaclaude (7 malicious versions).
If you installed it — respond
Remove @cliphijack/santaclaude from your project and lockfile, then assume any secrets accessible to the build or runtime were exposed: rotate API keys, tokens, and credentials, and audit for unexpected outbound activity or persistence.
Did it already run?
If @cliphijack/santaclaude was installed, its post-install payload may already have run. Removing the package does not undo that — check outbound connections and credential use from the install window onward.
Frequently asked questions
Campaign
References
Credits
- Amazon Inspector · finder
Detect & block this
O3 blocks @cliphijack/santaclaude-class packages before install and in CI — and if it already ran, its runtime egress monitoring catches the malicious outbound activity and severs the channel.