@ghost_debugger/nanocachenpm
Advisory published Updated
@ghost_debugger/nanocache is a confirmed malicious npm package (MAL-2026-14046) that executes malicious code on install (malicious version 0.1.1). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.
Malicious code in @ghost_debugger/nanocache (npm)
What this malware does
On require/import, the package spawns a bundled 1.1 MB Windows executable at vendor/nanocache.exe as a detached background process with stdio ignored, windowsHide set, and child.unref() so it survives parent exit. The declared purpose is an in-memory LRU+TTL cache, which does not require a native background process, and the binary is not built from source shipped in the tarball. Strings inside the executable include /ws/agent, disconnect, update, and exit_code, consistent with a WebSocket-based remote agent that accepts commands from a remote controller. The README further describes vendor/nanocache.exe as a drop-in slot for an arbitrary Windows executable, indicating the npm module functions as a generic launcher for the bundled binary. Installing or importing the package on a Windows host results in an opaque, hidden native process being launched under a cache-library cover story, giving a remote party persistent control over the installer's machine.
Malicious versions
Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)
Detection & response playbook
Malicious packageFind it
Search your lockfiles and build artifacts for @ghost_debugger/nanocache (version 0.1.1).
If you installed it — respond
Remove @ghost_debugger/nanocache 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 @ghost_debugger/nanocache 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 @ghost_debugger/nanocache-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.