@hrmony/benefit-essenszuschussnpm
Advisory published Updated
@hrmony/benefit-essenszuschuss is a confirmed malicious npm package (MAL-2026-17253) that steals credentials and exfiltrates sensitive data (malicious version 3.99.0). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.
Malicious code in @hrmony/benefit-essenszuschuss (npm)
What this malware does
On module import, top-level code in this package harvests cloud and container secrets and posts them to a hardcoded attacker-controlled endpoint. It queries the AWS Instance Metadata Service (IMDSv2 token via PUT to /latest/api/token, then /iam/security-credentials/ and identity-credentials/ec2) to retrieve IAM role credentials, serializes the full process.env, and recursively reads /var/run/secrets/ to capture Kubernetes service-account tokens and mounted secret material. The collected data is POSTed as JSON to https://hrnmn.dd.h4x.tv/save_instance_info_from_pkge_hrmony_benefit-essenszuschuss. The package name mimics an internal @hrmony HR/benefits utility, consistent with a dependency-confusion payload targeting that scope; it also declares an unpinned dependency @hrmony/kit-5 (^1.0.0) that will be resolved from the public registry at install time.
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
Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)
Detection & response playbook
Credential / info stealerFind it
Search your lockfiles and build artifacts for @hrmony/benefit-essenszuschuss (version 3.99.0).
If you installed it — respond
@hrmony/benefit-essenszuschuss 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 @hrmony/benefit-essenszuschuss 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 @hrmony/benefit-essenszuschuss-class packages before install and in CI — and if it already ran, its runtime egress monitoring catches the credential exfiltration and severs the channel.