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Malicious package

@iobandamwer/cache-helpernpm

Advisory published Updated

@iobandamwer/cache-helper is a confirmed malicious npm package (MAL-2026-18329) that executes malicious code on install (malicious versions 0.0.0-stage, 1.0.2, 1.0.3…). Do not install it — remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.

Malicious code in @iobandamwer/cache-helper (npm)

MAL-2026-18329
Immediate action
Remove the package, then rotate any secrets the build/runtime could reach.
npm uninstall @iobandamwer/cache-helper

What this malware does

The package advertises itself as 'Cache utilities' but ships no source, no binding.gyp, and no build configuration — only two prebuilt native addons (addon.node ELF for Linux, addon_win.node PE for Windows) and a 4,164,844-byte opaque, high-entropy file named.napi_cache with no readable strings and no magic header. The package.json postinstall hook runs node -e "try{require(process.platform==='win32'?'./addon_win.node':'./addon.node').init()}catch(e){}", loading the platform-specific native binary and invoking init() on every install, with the error swallowed to suppress install-time noise. The Linux addon contains the format string '%s/.napi_cache' alongside fopen64/fread, references a '/tmp/.%u' staging path, and uses fork, setsid, execlp, chmod and _exit primitives — the shape of a drop-and-detach loader that reads the bundled.napi_cache blob, writes it to a hidden /tmp path, chmods it executable and runs it as a detached process. The addon also encodes an extensive evasion suite: environment checks for GITHUB_ACTIONS, GITLAB_CI, TRAVIS, CIRCLECI, JENKINS_URL, BUILDKITE, CODEBUILD_BUILD_ID, APPVEYOR, SEMAPHORE, TEAMCITY_VERSION, BITBUCKET_BUILD_NUMBER, NETLIFY, VERCEL, CF_BUILD_ID and SANDBOX; container probes against /proc/1/cgroup, docker, containerd, kubepod and podman; a TracerPid: debugger check via /proc/self/status; and host fingerprinting through /proc/meminfo, /proc/cpuinfo and /proc/self/maps. The combination — hollow self-description, source-less native binaries, lifecycle-hook execution of a staged opaque payload, and CI/sandbox/debugger gating — has no overlap with any legitimate cache library and is the fingerprint of an install-time dropper for attacker-controlled code.

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

13 flagged
0.0.0-stage1.0.21.0.31.0.41.0.51.0.61.0.71.0.81.0.91.1.01.1.11.1.21.1.3

Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)

529f7b16fb0c62ee71033377d3aebf3048f045e18f982b99224a584be9c264f6
5b2c0782d513e006f51c8c7090dc71502d28b213e13569155ce9be214b23ba17
685e1a10a0240724179f4655547b0ba3b50c1add16e252cd41f3e391b0421135
759ea413441e028e15e8c5a6743e62ddf83e50d320b64ba2da29a6b94b7f71bf
9901c53a0c84dee29233121621e6603270a5c42361334c72f2a6082314bcb395
bf55630a09318fe374f52902a11548dc1b92489abbc2458fcae5ea92dd4ce48a
c47bb0f2c683fab290a8e0bcb815c859f878d8f5fce310edc7fd9d0eea077c98
6e8bad59232742a6d908aa63db1adf786702bd6c6ffe1c974dee547ab893f708
7b581515f4c8038b3af8fc7a3125c6475430d3656f17e572f290435444a32ed7
b0a88993bf967d1bbbc61cb5f43b4d9af5d9ef74b920e70d828b4a52bf880979
2163086d467854dca4f1a0260bf54c3ffee71bec4d0df418199598ffe33fda02

Detection & response playbook

Malicious package
  1. Find it

    Search your lockfiles and build artifacts for @iobandamwer/cache-helper (13 malicious versions).

  2. If you installed it — respond

    Remove @iobandamwer/cache-helper 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 @iobandamwer/cache-helper 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. @iobandamwer/cache-helper on npm has been identified as a malicious package (versions 0.0.0-stage, 1.0.2, 1.0.3, 1.0.4, 1.0.5, 1.0.6, 1.0.7, 1.0.8, and 5 more flagged). It should be removed immediately — do not install or keep it in your dependency tree.

Campaign

GHSA-j83w-xhgf-7m58IN-MAL-2026-021793IN-MAL-2026-021789IN-MAL-2026-021792IN-MAL-2026-021790IN-MAL-2026-021797IN-MAL-2026-021796IN-MAL-2026-021798IN-MAL-2026-021794IN-MAL-2026-021799IN-MAL-2026-021791

References

Credits

  • Amazon Inspector · finder

Detect & block this

O3 blocks @iobandamwer/cache-helper-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.

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