Which versions of @nstrlabs/ixel are malicious?

The following npm versions of @nstrlabs/ixel are flagged malicious: 99.0.0, 99.0.1. Treat any of these as compromised.

How do I remediate @nstrlabs/ixel if I installed it?

@nstrlabs/ixel 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.

I already installed @nstrlabs/ixel — how do I know if it already compromised me?

If @nstrlabs/ixel was ever installed, its post-install/runtime payload may have already executed. O3's L7 egress monitoring and runtime eBPF sensors detect the credential exfiltration or command-and-control callback after install and block the malicious outbound channel, so you catch and contain the actual compromise — not just the presence of the package.

Is @nstrlabs/ixel part of a known attack campaign?

Yes — @nstrlabs/ixel is associated with the IN-MAL-2026-005094, IN-MAL-2026-005093, IN-MAL-2026-005149, IN-MAL-2026-005148 campaign. Packages in the same campaign often share infrastructure and payloads, so check whether any related packages are also in your dependency tree.

How do I find @nstrlabs/ixel across my projects, lockfiles, and CI pipelines?

Scan your lockfiles (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, yarn.lock, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, etc.) and build artifacts for @nstrlabs/ixel (2 malicious versions). O3 Security's supply-chain scanner checks every dependency against known-malicious package intelligence at install time and in CI, flagging @nstrlabs/ixel across your stack and pipelines.

Malicious package

@nstrlabs/ixelnpm

Malicious code in @nstrlabs/ixel (npm) Remove it immediately and rotate any exposed credentials.

MAL-2026-5420

Immediate action

Remove the package, then rotate any secrets the build/runtime could reach.

npm uninstall @nstrlabs/ixel

What this malware does

On npm install, the package runs node index.js via a preinstall lifecycle hook (declared as "preinstall": "node index.js || true" so failures are silenced). index.js collects os.hostname(), os.userInfo().username, __dirname, and process.cwd() and exfiltrates them two ways: (1) a hex-encoded subdomain DNS query against *.d8jbmnsqcfu78dfs8vdg34ohqhirb4pbg.oast.live (interactsh-style out-of-band beacon), and (2) an HTTP POST of a JSON blob to the hardcoded bare IP http://172.201.213.59:9090/c. Errors are swallowed via || true, try/catch, and a no-op HTTP error handler so the install appears to succeed. The package is published under the @nstrlabs scope at version 99.0.0 with description 'security research' — the canonical dependency-confusion recon shape, where a high version is published to a public registry to override an internal-scope package and beacon any host that resolves it. The package has no legitimate functionality; its only effect on install is the host-metadata beacon.

Malicious versions

2 flagged

99.0.099.0.1

Indicators of compromise (SHA-256)

0d9233446ae1b81338630ea6d9ef3ca2e08db8b46a737baf87970cedc00212bb

30f1436c6da35578a503200c102818817b2bb6ca8cfc863d1191b2e0a0aa08a7

0e63be698b01a3e68a3eaffe480367135ca4cbc6a14738cd2a6ab91dff475a7a

64b10f7a8ca25ac33a6d1e94038d1dbfd68d113d9ab7d7a428d97417b3409c7d

Detection & response playbook

Credential / info stealer

Find it
Scan your lockfiles (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, yarn.lock, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, etc.) and build artifacts for @nstrlabs/ixel (2 malicious versions). O3 Security's supply-chain scanner checks every dependency against known-malicious package intelligence at install time and in CI, flagging @nstrlabs/ixel across your stack and pipelines.
If you installed it — respond
@nstrlabs/ixel 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 @nstrlabs/ixel was ever installed, its post-install/runtime payload may have already executed. O3's L7 egress monitoring and runtime eBPF sensors detect the credential exfiltration or command-and-control callback after install and block the malicious outbound channel, so you catch and contain the actual compromise — not just the presence of the package.
How O3 protects you
O3 blocks @nstrlabs/ixel before install through its supply-chain scanner, and if it has already run, detects and severs the exfiltration or C2 callback at runtime through L7 egress monitoring and eBPF.

Frequently asked questions

No. @nstrlabs/ixel on npm has been identified as a malicious package (versions 99.0.0, 99.0.1 flagged). It should be removed immediately — do not install or keep it in your dependency tree.

Campaign

IN-MAL-2026-005094IN-MAL-2026-005093IN-MAL-2026-005149IN-MAL-2026-005148

References

Credits

Amazon Inspector · finder

Detect & block this

O3 blocks @nstrlabs/ixel-class packages before install and in CI — and if it already ran, its runtime egress monitoring catches the credential exfiltration and severs the channel.

Malware detection Runtime egress monitoring