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Malicious package

@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)

MAL-2026-17253
Immediate action
Remove the package, then rotate any secrets the build/runtime could reach.
npm uninstall @hrmony/benefit-essenszuschuss

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

1 flagged
3.99.0

Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)

1a91973dc3a793ffab820317714931c69f1a992ac1ebef3f80d8028976959939
004b1780ab8d59ff304d7ca15e6e82afe1d0fe65d7024e7fd2cc41534c0b5d28

Detection & response playbook

Credential / info stealer
  1. Find it

    Search your lockfiles and build artifacts for @hrmony/benefit-essenszuschuss (version 3.99.0).

  2. 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.

  3. 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

No. @hrmony/benefit-essenszuschuss on npm has been identified as a malicious package (version 3.99.0 flagged). It should be removed immediately — do not install or keep it in your dependency tree.

Campaign

IN-MAL-2026-020664GHSA-2c72-pm8g-m65j

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.

Explore

@hrmony/benefit-essenszuschuss (npm) malicious package — MAL-2026-17253 | O3 Security