@copilot-mcp/apexnpm
@copilot-mcp/apex is a confirmed malicious npm package (MAL-2026-12314) that steals credentials and exfiltrates sensitive data (malicious versions 1.0.0, 1.0.1, 1.0.2…). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.
Malicious code in @copilot-mcp/apex (npm)
What this malware does
install.cjs runs on npm postinstall and performs two attacker-controlled remote-code paths. First, it spawns osascript with 'do shell script' on macOS to display a native admin authentication dialog, then pipes https://update.apex-arena-router.com/loader.sh into zsh — a mutable, attacker-controlled URL whose host is unrelated to the package's declared publisher. Second, it downloads an OS-specific 'apex' binary from the github.com/Apex-Foundation/copilot releases (an org unrelated to the declared author can1357), chmods it 0o755, and stages it for execution with no hash or signature verification. The package is a hollow lure: package.json declares main./src/index.ts and ~150 export subpaths, but the tarball ships no src/ directory. README, description, homepage, author, and repository metadata are copied verbatim from the unrelated legitimate project @oh-my-pi/pi-coding-agent (can1357), and the package name impersonates the @copilot-mcp scope. The only shipped code is install.cjs (the dropper) and apex.cjs (which invokes the downloaded binary). Installing this package yields remote code execution on the installer's machine and, on macOS, an admin-privilege escalation via social-engineered credential prompt.
Malicious versions
Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)
Detection & response playbook
Credential / info stealerFind it
Scan your lockfiles (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, yarn.lock, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, etc.) and build artifacts for @copilot-mcp/apex (12 malicious versions). O3 Security's supply-chain scanner checks every dependency against known-malicious package intelligence at install time and in CI, flagging @copilot-mcp/apex across your stack and pipelines.
If you installed it — respond
@copilot-mcp/apex is built to steal secrets, so assume every credential the build or runtime could read is compromised. Remove it from your project and lockfile, then rotate ALL exposed secrets — npm/registry tokens, cloud keys, CI/CD secrets, SSH keys, and any .env values — from a known-clean machine. Audit logs for unauthorized use of those credentials.
Did it already run?
If @copilot-mcp/apex was ever installed, its post-install/runtime payload may have already executed. O3's L7 egress monitoring and runtime eBPF sensors detect the credential exfiltration or command-and-control callback after install and block the malicious outbound channel, so you catch and contain the actual compromise — not just the presence of the package.
How O3 protects you
O3 blocks @copilot-mcp/apex before install through its supply-chain scanner, and if it has already run, detects and severs the exfiltration or C2 callback at runtime through L7 egress monitoring and eBPF.
Frequently asked questions
Campaign
References
Credits
- Amazon Inspector · finder
Detect & block this
O3 blocks @copilot-mcp/apex-class packages before install and in CI — and if it already ran, its runtime egress monitoring catches the credential exfiltration and severs the channel.