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Malicious package

@helpcentre/tesco-helpnpm

Advisory published Updated

@helpcentre/tesco-help is a confirmed malicious npm package (MAL-2026-5521) that executes malicious code on install (malicious version 999.0.0). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.

Malicious code in @helpcentre/tesco-help (npm)

MAL-2026-5521
Immediate action
Remove the package, then rotate any secrets the build/runtime could reach.
npm uninstall @helpcentre/tesco-help

What this malware does

On npm install, the postinstall hook runs node index.js, which performs an HTTPS POST to https://f1ackavab3.execute-api.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/ carrying the installer's hostname (os.hostname()) and current working directory (process.cwd()) as JSON. The package has no other functionality. The scoped name @helpcentre/tesco-help targets a Tesco-branded internal namespace, and the inflated 999.0.0 version is the canonical dependency-confusion technique used to override a private package of the same name when an installer's registry config falls back to public npm. Installers who resolve this package leak host-identifying reconnaissance data to an attacker-controlled API Gateway endpoint, enabling targeted follow-on attacks against the affected build environment.

Any computer that has this package installed or running should be considered fully compromised. All secrets and keys stored on that computer should be rotated immediately from a different computer. The package should be removed, but as full control of the computer may have been given to an outside entity, there is no guarantee that removing the package will remove all malicious software resulting from installing it.

Malicious versions

1 flagged
999.0.0

Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)

eb75510e87a08a5152331461c2b2b955ad21d418c8d2055f5f66ec15e22cf042
f12f0ae044f23cb43cc95601156cd73349e8d8ee81c1d8a105b413416540f4d4
fe1c5453171d5de5ea2a770adc6dcfff3f7ffa3f2fe9f5615ef3024bed8f0cbb

Detection & response playbook

Malicious package
  1. Find it

    Search your lockfiles and build artifacts for @helpcentre/tesco-help (version 999.0.0).

  2. If you installed it — respond

    Remove @helpcentre/tesco-help 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.

  3. Did it already run?

    If @helpcentre/tesco-help 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

No. @helpcentre/tesco-help on npm has been identified as a malicious package (version 999.0.0 flagged). It should be removed immediately — do not install or keep it in your dependency tree.

Campaign

IN-MAL-2026-005281IN-MAL-2026-005282GHSA-5cff-qhhv-cxxw

References

Credits

  • Amazon Inspector · finder

Detect & block this

O3 blocks @helpcentre/tesco-help-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.

Explore

@helpcentre/tesco-help (npm) malicious package — MAL-2026-5521 | O3 Security